✝ Daily Encouragement (5/21/24) "You Also Must Be Ready"
Published: Tue, 05/21/24
Updated: Tue, 05/21/24
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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Tuesday, May 21, 2024  Yesterday
was Pentecost
Monday (also
known as Whit
Monday). It's
a day when
Amish take off
work and the
youth get
together.
These young
people in
Lebanon County
are headed to
a youth
gathering.
(Click on photo to enlarge) "You Also Must Be Ready" Message summary: Certainly one of the greatest blessings of life is being ready when our time comes to depart from this life or when the Lord returns. Listen to our message on your audio player. “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Matthew 24:44).On
late Sunday
afternoon we
took a bike
ride on the
river trail
after a busy
weekend with
our Open House
on Saturday
and both
morning
worship and
nursing home
ministry on
Sunday
afternoon. It
was nice to
get out in
nature with
the sun
shining after
many days of
drizzle and
rain (God's
creation).
At
our turn
around point
on the trail
at the boat
ramp in
Falmouth
Brooksyne
began
receiving
texts. Chris,
an employee,
in one of our
companies,
a
young father
with four
children, had
passed away.
They were
group texts so
we began to
get the
shocked
responses from
others in the
group.
Company
management
requested that
we come in
Monday morning
to share a
message and
visit with the
employees,
many who first
heard of his
death at the
meeting. It
was a tough
visit to make
and people
often expect
the "preacher"
to have some
answers to
"why" did this
happen. But
the truth is
we don't have
answers. I
call events
like this the
"mysteries of
providence".
Employees
recall their
last words
with Chris
last Friday,
one
specifically
recalling it
was "Have a
great
weekend". But
no one
expected the
weekend to go
for him as it
did when he
didn't awaken
from his sleep
Sunday
morning.
Of
course I
shared a few
words of
comfort with
the team but
God also laid
on my heart
the daily
Scripture
verse to
share, “So
you also must
be ready,
because the
Son of Man
will come at
an hour when
you do not
expect Him”.
We’re
always in a
state of
getting ready
for something
in every
season of
life, whether
it’s attending
kindergarten
the first day,
our first
piano recital,
entering high
school, our
first job,
getting
engaged and
married,
having our
first baby or
first
grandchild.
And
then those
latter years
when one has
to sell their
house and
valuables to
move into a
retirement
home. On
Sunday as we
walked into an
assisted
living center
where I
preached at a
chapel service
we noticed a
truck with
furnishings
parked in
front.
Throughout the
service we
observed
family members
carrying in
the furniture
we had seen in
the parking
lot.
We
finally face
life’s
greatest event
and one
requiring
ultimate
preparation,
our transition
to the other
side.
Jesus stressed getting ready, the kind of getting ready that supersedes all those important things that are present only for the very limited time we live on this terrestrial ball (a two word phrase from the hymn, "All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name"). Unambiguously
Jesus declared
to His
disciples in
His long
teaching on
the Mount of
Olives, "You
also must be
ready".
He’s
specifically
speaking of
His promised
return to
earth: a
future event
which devout
believers hold
dear. But
the command is
always
appropriate
whether it's
preparation
for
Christ's
return or
our
imminent
death.
Many mock and
scoff at the
mention of the
vital
necessity of
being ready.
Indeed our
death or the
return of
Christ may
come at an
hour we least
expect.
Sadly,
in my
observation,
even in much
of the visible
church this
vital need to
be prepared is
too often
under-proclaimed.
Most simply put if off or ignore it altogether. In fact Jesus Himself likened His soon return to the days of Noah. People went about their business unaware of their impending doom. Perhaps the economy was strong and people were living well. They reasoned, “Who needs to listen to that crazy preacher building a boat?" Similar to the days of Solomon, “A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry” (Ecclesiastes 8:15). But Jesus said, "You also must be ready". And He went on to state, "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him". In some cases we expect an imminent death such as the end stages of a deadly disease but most of the time we just don't know. So we have a very forthright warning from Jesus Himself that we are to be ready for His return and for our death. However regarding the specific date or time we do not know, even though all throughout the church age many have attempted to forecast that date, but as you know they've been wrong every time! So the focus is not so much the unannounced date, as it is living in a state of preparedness for our death or the Lord’s return, whichever comes first. We won’t have time to get ready at the trumpet sound, so we must be ready before that great and glorious moment when Jesus appears in the clouds. Through Scripture and God's messengers we have been adequately warned. Have you heeded that warning? Are you ready? Are you warning others? The greatest reward in this life is being ready when our time comes to depart from this life or when the Lord returns to take us with Him in the air. Be
encouraged
today, Hebrews
3:13
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily
prayer:
Father,
depending on
the state of
our hearts we
view the
Scriptures
about death or
the return of
Your Son, in
dread as a
warning, or in
joyful
anticipation
as a
welcoming. We
prepare our
hearts by
trusting You
and asking You
for the
forgiveness of
sins and
inviting You
to reign in
our lives. We
pray for those
we love that
they too will
make spiritual
preparations
for their
death or be
ready for the
trumpet sound
when the dead
in Christ rise
first and then
we who believe
will be caught
up to meet
Jesus in the
skies. We have
been warned,
so we want to
be
prepared
and welcome
with great
anticipation
the time when
we will
transition to
immortality
upon our death
or when Christ
returns at His
second coming.
We lift up our
heads as our
redemption
draws near.
Amen. Note:
Due to our
unexpected
schedule
change
yesterday
followed by
guests who
arrived from
New York we
did not post a
message
yesterday.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The
Praise Is
Yours/Worthy
Of It
All"
Watch
on YouTube
Calvary Church
choir and
orchestra
selections
from this last
Sunday. 
On
Saturday
afternoon we
had our "open
house" for our
new bedroom
addition. We
had many
people visit
throughout the
afternoon, our
final guests
being local
friends Lloyd
and Mary Ann
Miller. We
connected with
Mary Ann
through Daily
Encouragement
many years ago
and also
served as
chaplains at
the company
founded by her
father Sam
Smucker for
many
years.They
recently
hosted the
wedding and
reception for
their oldest
granddaughter
and new
husband in
their
beautiful home
setting that
includes
breathtaking
views of
farmland along
with a well
manicured lawn
and gardens.
What a
memorable
wedding that
must have
been!
 Dave
and Matt, two
of the men who
worked on our
project as the
framers
examine what
they did as
our neighbor
(and dog
watcher) John
looks on.
(Photo
by Nick Nichols)
Ester
took photos
throughout the
project and
compiled them
in a video
Yesterday
guests visited
our home from
the Finger
Lakes region
of New York in
the latter
afternoon and
dined with us
at dinner.
They came down
to Lancaster
County to see
Daniel, the
current Sight
and Sound
presentation;
Fred
and Pam
(left), Tom
and Priscilla.
Both men are
retired
engineers who
went to
Cornell. Tom
had a career
as a college
professor and
Fred worked
his entire
career at
Kodak. Pam was
a home
economics
instructor and
Priscilla a
hospice nurse.
Both couples
are faithful
followers of
Christ and
very much
based in their
faith and
reality. Our
association
with them is
through Daily
Encouragement.
The
baby robins in
the nest above
our fan are
growing
rapidly and
always hungry
it seems,
keeping their
diligent mom
busy
collecting
worms.
(Click on
photo to enlarge)
Yesterday
morning we
stopped by the
Flower Wagon
greenhouse
near Lititz as
advertised
with this
truck.
This
morning the
corn was
planted in the
field across
from our
house.
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