Revelation 10:6 And he swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and the angel said, “There will be no more delay!”There’s an old story told about three apprentice devils who were taking their final exam in front of Satan.
“Before I let you loose in the world,” Old Nick said, “I need to know what deceitful message you are going to whisper in the ears of people so that they end up here in hell.”
“That’s easy,” said the first devil. “I’ll tell them there is no heaven.”
“That won’t work,” said Satan. “Whenever people look at the beauty of the earth and feel the wonders of creation, they know that heaven exists. FAIL!”
“I’ll tell them that there’s no hell,” said the second devil.
“That won’t work either,” said Satan. “The world is full of so much pain and suffering, injustice and cruelty that people know hell exists as a place of punishment for the unrepentant and wicked. FAIL!”
The third devil thought for a moment and then said, “I’ll tell them that there’s no hurry.”
“EXCELLENT!” Satan declared. “People will be fooled into believing that there’s plenty of time to change. Hell will overflow with lost souls! PASS!”
And the angel said: “There will be no more delay!”
Are we ready for Christ’s Return if He comes back today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, our lives are precious gifts which are meant to be spent serving God and enjoying His Creation. We get distracted at times by what’s going on around us instead of paying attention to what’s happening inside our souls. Help us to take this day as a means of strengthening our faith, serving You, and sharing Your love, so that we and others will be ready for Your Return. In Your Holy Name, we wait and pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Today’s drawing is called “Death by Dali” and is John’s crayon depiction of the Crucifixion based upon Salvador Dali’s masterpiece “Christ of St. John of the Cross.” If you would like to see a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5630260156_4cd6a2e7b5_b.jpg
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