30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 21 29-33 WATCH AND PRAY V 02 Luke 21 29-31 Blessed are those who endure
📖 Luke 21:29-33
*FRIEND OF GOD*
16Jun2021 - *Blessed are those who endure* - _Luke 21:29-33_ - WATCH AND PRAY V (02) – Bible reading: _James 5:7-11_
We are at the end of the age. The Lord is calling us to be patient and not to be troubled and anxious over the things that are happening. We are called to fulfil the ministry entrusted to us. We must press on in the enablement and empowerment of His Holy Spirit, till the very end.
_Luke 21:29-31 Then He spoke to them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. (30) When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. (31) So you also, *when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near*._
We are in the home stretch of our race. When athletes run long-distance events, they come to the home stretch, for which they reserve their energy and strength to give it their all. This is when they sprint and seek to finish in glory.
This is where we all are, in our journey with the Lord. Let us put in our all, to finish our race in glory.
_James 5:7-11 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain._
We are to wait patiently for the return of our Lord, just as a farmer waits for the harvest. The farmer knows that the time of harvest will surely come. This is how we need to be in these end times.
Some of us may be going through crushing experiences. Maybe it is a difficult situation at home, maybe financial challenges or the grief of the loss of loved ones. This is the time for us to be patient and continue on with the Lord and fulfil the ministry that the Lord has entrusted to us.
Each of us, know in our experience, that the Lord has been true. Even in our darkest moments, *He has never left us but He provided for us* in practical ways. We have witnessed His hand and we can recount those moments.
We may not have all the answers to our circumstances but this is not the time for us to be anxious and troubled but to cast our cares on Him and focus on the work that the Lord has entrusted to us.
_James 5:8-9 You also be patient. *Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand*. (9) Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!_
We must ensure that we are not grumbling and complaining at this time. We could be going through a prolonged crisis and there may seem to be no end in sight but do not become negative and bitter toward these issues.
Many of God’s people are wanting the Lord to bring an end to their struggle and that is what they are repeatedly asking from the Lord.
Friend, if this your situation, would you rest in the presence of the Lord? Don’t be troubled but instead ask the Lord to empower you, even more, to be patient and to do the work of the Lord.
_II Corinthians 12:9-10 And He said to me, "*My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness*." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong._
His grace is sufficient for us, moment by moment. The Lord does not promise that He will take away our troubles but He promises us His grace, for all of our weaknesses.
_James 5:10-11 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. (11) Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful._
The Lord’s heart is that no one, who has a desire for Him, who is searching and seeking for the truth, should perish in the eternal fire but should come to eternal life.
This is the reason for the delay, (if we may call it so), for the return of our Lord. Even if there be one soul, genuinely desiring and groping for the truth, the Lord will wait for that person to come to Him.
_II Peter 3:9-11 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, *not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance*._
This is the time of extended grace, like the extra time in the matches that we play. The stage is fully set for our Lord’s return but He does not anyone to perish.
_II Peter 3:10-11 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (11) *Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness*,_
As the church, we ought not to let our guard down and get stuck in the appetites of the flesh or in the worries of this world.
There are still many who are thinking that everything will get back to normal and we can get back to ‘business as usual. Let us be warned, this is not the time to get bogged down with the cares of this life. The end is at hand.
_Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly._
*Thought to ponder*
```Sin is increasing but His grace, His divine enablement, increases even more.```