Exodus 23-25, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalm 30, Proverbs 7:24-27

Exodus 23-25, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalm 30, Proverbs 7:24-27

 

            The sad part about today's reading is that I have had the Indiana Jones theme song in my head all day.  I keep seeing Dr. Jones fighting Nazis and going after the Ark of the Covenant, as Hollywood imagined it!  That's just a side thought.  There are a couple real things that stuck with me from today's reading.  A year ago I was in a very different place in my life.  I was very unhappy at my job, burnt out on life, and battling cherished sins.  Not in a good place.  Looking back at my job situation: my store "failed"/did not meet company expectations on a couple audits.  At least twice a year my store (and all the others) gets a random audit from an outside company that measures quality assurance and other standards.  Like I said, we were not up to expectations and did not reach goals, putting my and my partners into a "crisis/survival" mode.  We knew we were going to be re-audited within a four-week period and we knew that we had to hit those goals...we did.  The next few months were still really rough and I lived in a mode where I was waking up dreading the day wondering if another audit would come….not the greatest or healthiest time for me.  Through all that there were some definite work and life lessons that I learned.  The biggest was to be always ready for those audits.  My team and I had to change our routines of working, reprioritizing, communicating differently, and setting up clearer expectations.  We have learned and changed our way of working and "living" always ready for the next audit…really it's not a sweat or panic now, because everyone is doing what they should be doing!

 

            Matthew 24 made me think of these audits.  It talks about Christ's second coming and the future that awaits us.  We know it's coming, but we just don't know when…not even the angels in heaven…not even the Mayans.  We are told in verse 42 and 44 to "Keep watch…because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."  In middle school my best friends and I were obsessed with Revelation, the end times, and watched this Christian movie series (very bad 70's acting) called "The Mark of the Beast," so during those times I remember dc Talk songs and in the mornings while I prayed I asked God if He was coming back that day.  I don't really pray that or ask that anymore.  It's honestly not part of my thinking or my "routine" anymore, but today's reading is a reminder to be ready.  It's a way of living…it's about living according to God's word, the truth.  Being ready is loving God, glorifying Him everyday.  It's about the cross. 

 

            Psalm 30 (which is a favorite) is a psalm about who God is, how we should live, and a psalm of hope and encouragement.  It says that "joy comes in the morning" (NKJV.)  These two passages go hand in hand because we are told to be ready, and the psalm gives us examples of how to live…in song, in worship.  God is the author of joy, is merciful, and is our help.  I encourage you to go back to this psalm when you are in the "depths of despair."  You may be weeping tonight like David did, but there is hope that in God JOY comes in the morning.  David ends this psalm with a message that many ladies will remember, "O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever."  Tomorrow is a new day….there is hope…there is joy.  I pray that God changes my heart that I may be joyful.  I thank him for the hard times a year ago and the lessons that were learned.  I pray that I live a life ready and that I will pray with joy tomorrow morning and be ready.