Day 204 "Daddy's coming home soon, are you ready?"

Day 204 Matthew 24:27-31 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” While we, as believers, see this as a great and glorious time (as we should), for nonbelievers this will be a time of great fear, distress, and dread, as it should be. It is helpful to remember that most likely at this time in history the world would have been under the hand of the enemy and the leadership of the antichrist. Lawlessness would prevail, morality will be despised, and people have been left to their own vices; generally speaking, anything goes and is accepted during this time. However, Daddy is coming home, and someone will be punished for their disobedience. I grew up in a time where spankings and physical forms of punishment were still very much the accepted form of discipline; it was not uncommon for the belt to find its way to my backside. However, the emotional pain of punishment always far outweighed the physical pain of punishment. You see, I always knew when I had done something that would lead to punishment; after all, I knew the rules, and just as well, I knew that when I broke them, I would be punished. The worst struggle came when I broke a big rule or a rule I had never broken before, because then I was never sure how severe the punishment would be. Therefore, I ran scenarios in my mind: I would think of the worst possible form of punishment and then work my way back toward a lesser form, all the while being tormented in my mind. You see, I knew dad was coming home, and I knew I would be punished, but when I heard him come through the front door and saw his face, that’s when my heart truly sank, and fear pulsated through every being of my soul. You would think that the emotional and physical pain of such an event would keep me from intentionally falling short, yet it never did; the joy of the flesh always outweighed the fear of the punishment. In these times that Jesus is speaking of people will be in a very similar place. The joy of their flesh will be overpowering any fear of judgment until that very day of the return of the Son, who carries with Him the punishment of the Father. At that very moment, all mankind will let out a fearful sigh, for then they will know–Daddy's home–and He's not very happy. My dad used to tell me it always hurt him more than it hurt me; I often wondered, "Well, if it hurts so badly, why spank me?" Now I know, for I, too, am a dad. Our failures hurt our Father because He knows what's best. He knows that the result of our choice could have eternal consequences; He knows that we don't understand. However, it is only because of our rebelliousness and our wrong choices that we will all continue to suffer, some for an eternity. I truly don't believe that God is anxiously anticipating sending Jesus back; I rather choose to believe that he is waiting and wanting every one of His children to turn from their evil ways; all the while knowing they won't. Think about it, what joy is there for a merciful, loving God to send the people He created and loves to eternal suffering? Yet He will, and not by any choice of His own. Daddy's coming home, are we ready? Daily Prayer: Father, I never want to fear Your return as I did that of my own earthly father, yet many should. Teach me, Lord, how to communicate with Your children Your love, Your grace, and Your mercy, as well as Your impending judgment, that many may know You! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Daddy's coming home soon, are you ready?" Gene Burroughs, Pastor