Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013       I Revealed the Future to My Disciples – Part 2 Page 248-250         Matthew 24:32-51

My dad was a pilot in the Air Force. He retired the summer after I graduated from Plattsburgh High School in upper New York State. A few years ago, I returned to Plattsburgh for a reunion and drove out to see the old Air Force Base. At the end of the flight line, the old Alert Building, or Mole Hole as it was known, was still standing. Most of the building is under ground with long tunnels rising to the surface. We were stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base during the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Flight crews were stationed in the Mole Hole 24/7. Their B-47’s were parked nearby and stayed in a constant state of readiness. When the Klaxon sounded, they never knew if it was a practice/readiness alert or the real thing. They knew they had fifteen minutes to be airborne. They stayed in their flight clothes 24/7 and at the sound of the Klaxon, ran to their vehicles parked at the end of the tunnels. Once the whole crew was in the vehicle, they drove to their waiting airplane and made final preparations for take-off.

My dad was a Squadron Commander, and would know if a practice/readiness alert was planned. On one such occasion, he took me with him and we stood at the end of the runway as a whole squadron of B-47’s took off within fifteen minutes of the alarm. It was a sight to behold, watching the huge jet bombers rumble down the runway. Then as the pilot ignited the JATO bottles, the B-47 just jumped into the air. (JATO is an acronym for jet-fuel assisted take off. It is a system for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets.)

Because of the very real threat, the alert crews were highly motivated to stay in a constant state of readiness. In our scripture for today, Jesus is telling us God will fulfill his promises to make all things right at the end of this present age. The mission of the church is to stay in a state of readiness, 24/7. That is hard to do, very hard to do, especially in light of the enormity of the issues facing our churches in these days. The Apostle Paul’s words encourage me to maintain a state of readiness as I seek to keep the faith and finish the race with Jesus:

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NRSV).

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Thursday, March 21, 2013 My Final Words About the Kingdom - 

Part 1: Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids         

Page 250      Matthew 25: 1-13