The sound of the alarm going off this morning  reminded me of a morning many years ago. That morning, too, started with the sound of the alarm.

I was a little tired, so I hit the snooze button. And again. Now, I was running a few minutes behind, but things were still manageable. I spilled the coffee as I filled the pot. Another minute gone. So it went. There were more annoyances here and there, but I managed to get ready. 

I headed for the doors. Darn! Where were my keys? I searched frantically, overturning everything in my wake, and finally found them. Now, I was really late and stressed, too.

I stepped out the door to find snow. I had to brush and scrape the car off. Where was the scraper? Another few minutes lost. Finally, I was on the road. 

Red light at the first intersection and the second. By now, my stress levels were getting high, and I was mumbling very unchristian and unking words at traffic lights and crazy drivers.

I pulled into the parking lot just in time for the day, but I was stressed and grouchy. My entire day was off-kilter.

Can anyone relate?

Jesus told a parable about being late. It’s well worth reading.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

He is coming back. That won’t be the time to be scrambling and running later. Are you ready?

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

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© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

The big old porcupine waddled from the road’s edge down into the  ditch. I was surprised because the only porcupines I ever see on or near the road are dead ones or the ones you are about to run over. I do not recall seeing one that had crossed the road.

Immediately, all the corny jokes ran through my mind. “Why did the porcupine cross the road?” I will not bother to share them with you; you have undoubtedly heard them all as chicken, gopher, or turtle jokes.

Porcupines (Old Porky) are fascinating creatures and are relatively common throughout much of North America. Some of my reading tells me they have an average of 30,000 quills. I do not know who counted them, but there is a lot of potential for sticking to things.

Porcupines are herbaceous, but they sometimes get in trouble around people because they do like a little salt in their diet. That means they are apt to chew on anything that has had sweat on it. Saddles, axe handles, blankets, and the like have fallen prey to Old Porky’s taste for salty things.

You do not often see them in water, but porcupines are great swimmers. All those hollow quills give them extra buoyancy, so a little pond or stream is no barrier to a porcupine with an eye for the vegetation on the other bank.

Old Porky is a slow-moving creature that is near-sighted. That makes them easy to approach. You simply have to ensure you are not within reach of their tail. One swat of that tail can leave you with a hand full or leg full of nasty barbs. 

Contrary to popular legend, they do not shoot their quills, but their tails can move surprisingly quickly. Many dogs or cats have learned the hard way that porcupines might be slow, but they prefer to avoid being bothered.

Some people think porcupines are stupid because they are slow and nearsighted. Not so. They have excellent memories, and I have been told they can be trained to do tricks.

I think that people often view God as being like Old Porky. They assume He is near-sighted and cannot see their sin or that He is not very bright and accepts all the lies and rationalizations they use to justify their sin.

People also seem to think that God is slow in coming, just like Old Porky moves slowly. Or they seem to believe that He is never coming back because He’s lying out there dead alongside the road somewhere.

Don’t you believe it.

God is not blind. God is not dumb. God is not dead. Jesus is coming back. He is simply awaiting the perfect moment.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this `coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:3-13

Until next time, we can rejoice that He is alive, sees all and He is coming back for us.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

___________________________________________ 

© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.