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Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Meditation Luke 21:5-11 Jesus words to his disciples can sound like something right out of todays newspapers. It seems that no matter where you look, you will find reports of war, famine, confusion, and unrest. And if you put all the pieces together in just the right way, you may be led to conclude that we really are living in the end times. But Jesus was careful to tell his disciples not just to look out for signs that might predict the end. And doesnt our own history bear this out? After all, weve seen ages before ours that were far worse off than we are, and still the end didnt come. Its just as Jesus told his disciples once: Just as the poor will always be with us, so too will signs of the end times. In a sense, weve been in the end times since the day Jesus ascended into heaven. He could come back any time, and no matter how hard we try to predict his coming, he will still catch us by surprise. So how do we stay prepared for an event that we may not even live to see fulfilled? The answer is as simple today as it was two thousand years ago: by staying close to Jesus. Those of us who are married will remember what it was like when we first fell in love. We were so taken with our beloved that nothing could distract us from our desire to be with them. In a similar way, Jesus wants to become our beloved. He wants to so fill our imaginations that we want nothing more than to rest in his love and become pure vessels of that love to the world around us. And as this happens, we can become convinced that no matter what happens in the world, God is still in control. As we pray every day and read Scripture, even if its just for five or ten minutes, our worries will diminish, and we will fall in love with Jesus. Then, whether Jesus comes back today or in ten thousand years, we will be ready to meet him with open arms. Lord, you know me and love me so completely that there is nothing I have to fear. Please fill me more and more with you so that my hope rests in your peace and not in the passing of world events. |