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| CONCRETE FENCE September 04, 2019 |
Persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable,
and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard.
COLOSSIANS 1:23
You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds (Col 1:21). God has now reconciled in His fleshly Body of Christ through His death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before Him (Col. 1:22).
Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Lk 14:27). Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? (Lk 14:28) Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? (Lk 14:31) In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:33)
Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what our Lord intends? (Wis 9:13) For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. (Wis 9:14-15) And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven who can search them out? (Wis 9:16)
Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep (1 Thes 4:14). The Lord Himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thes 4:16-17).
Lord, who ever knew Your counsel, except You had given wisdom and sent Your Holy Spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight. (Wis 9:17-18) You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men” (Ps 90:3). For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass, which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades. (Ps 90:4-6) Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart (Ps 90:12).