S ometimes very familiar portions of God’s Word are misused. One of these is a five-word sentence ser mon given to us in Amos 4:12. You have heard it before, “Prepare to meet thy God.” This phrase is sometimes put up in rescue missions in great big letters right over the platform. Actu ally, however, God didn’t say that to the Egyptians, the Babylonians or to any other heathen people. He said it to Israel, to His own people. Here were those who had been redeemed by His covenant. It was declared to those of His own choosing. We can also apply it to our hearts. He is talking to you and to me as Christians, too. No other judge in all the world would do that. We are never warned that something is about to happen to us. But God tells us in advance and He gives us wisdom to see our need. No prosecut ing attorney gathers evidence against us and then lets us know all about it. He rather waits to “spring” it in the courtroom. How wonderful the Lord is to us. He is the Judge of all the earth. He tells us all the evidence He has against us. Everything we do and say goes down on His record up there. He doesn’t need to tell us anything, but out of love He does. In addition, He tells us how to pre pare to meet Him. He lets us know how to avoid all the evidence He has against us. Can you imagine the love of God who so graciously and won derfully provides for us in view of that coming day? The Bible reminds us, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment.” No one needs to go along carelessly and find eternity as a surprise. You know, I can’t help but notice the young people out here in Cali fornia. They come in the restaurants smoking cigarettes and carelessly dressed. They joke and swear with no regard for others. They seem to have no aim in life except girls and cigar
ettes. Yet the day is coming when they will have to start earning a liv ing. They will somehow have to adjust to society. They certainly aren ’t pre paring for it now. Their only thought seems to be in living for the devil. You can tell by the language they use. How sad and tragic this is. God wants us to prepare to meet Him as true Christians. When we get to eternity we will meet our heavenly Father. When we were saved, the Lord Jesus brought us into His family. So, as adopted sons and daughters, we will want to know our loving heavenly Father, along with the rest of the family. He is the Shepherd of the sheep, and we will report to Him about whether we grew any wool for Him or not. What will we be able to say? He found the right pastures for us where the grass was green and tender. He took care of us so kindly and sweetly. Are you preparing to meet that Shepherd? Will you be glad to see Him because you not only en joyed His care but also you gave Him something? We must also be prepared to meet the Judge who will decide what we have done that can withstand the test ing by fire. Will our works be quickly consumed as wood, hay and stubble? There are 625 commandments in the Bible, many more than just the ten of Exodus 20. Most of them have to do with our relationships with others. Christ said one day, “This is my com mandment, that you love one an other.” That means not just the Meth odists loving all the Methodists, and the Baptists loving all the Baptists, and the Catholics loving all the Catho lics, and the Jews loving all the Jews. •That wasn’t what He said. Have we learned from the Word of God what He wants us to do? As a family, we know what the rules of the house are so that we can be obedient to them. This is the only way in which 7
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs