That was awkward...

Ok Ok soooo, obviously this has been the topic of conversation for at least a few days right??
Well, these are my thoughts, and I'm sure those of you who personally know me knew I would have a few ;)

Matthew 24:36-44
The Day and Hour Unknown
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Alright, that being said....
Make no mistake, He will return for His beloved! Are you prepared? Have you heard of the Parable of the Ten Virgins?

Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

So, is your lamp full? Will you be prepared or you run out of oil when He returns?

~ Randa ~

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD!

Jeremiah 29:11-13

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Wow..what an amazing verse!! In all of our struggles, in all of our problems & pain God has a PLAN! Not JUST any PLAN, but a PLAN FOR HOPE & A FUTURE!! JESUS was & still is that PLAN & GOD knew what He was doing all along. How comforting is that?! What's even more comforting is that God STILL knows what He's doing as He always has. He still desires us to come to Him, to seek Him FERVENTLY. To pray FERVENTLY. To call on Him & He will listen.

Sometimes we have to realize that when we ask for certain things it may not be in His will. That can be hard to take but His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways. His plans are meant to give us a hope & a future. And what the enemy has meant for evil, God will work out for good. He can use those struggles & trials to get you to the place He needs you to be for a certain purpose, place, & time. God is ALWAYS with you, even when you think He isn't. So go in peace & seek God with all of your heart, because our hope & future arose & lives!
~ Randa ~

Prophetic Wonderings

VERSE:
This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward.
-- 1 Peter 1:10-11 nlt

THOUGHT:
One of the most important claims Scripture makes about itself, and its origins, is that it is God-breathed and Spirit-inspired (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The prophets of Israel had looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and the making of a new people. But they did not, and could not, fully understand what their prophecies meant. This was especially true of Jesus' suffering and the glory that followed his resurrection. Yet these messages, these recorded prophecies in the Old Testament, were given them by the Holy Spirit of God to speak of the coming of Christ. We value Scripture because we believe that the Spirit of God stands behind its origin and inspired the words that its prophets and writers shared.

PRAYER:
Father God, please give me a deeper appreciation for Scripture, looking to it as the words inspired by the Holy Spirit and used by the Holy Spirit on my heart as I read them. Open my heart, open my mind, and transform my will and my behavior as I read your words inspired by your Spirit. In Jesus' name I ask for this grace. Amen.

~www.heartlight.org~

~Randa~

TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT -- Colossians 1:19-20

VERSE:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace with his blood, shed on the cross.
-- Colossians 1:19-20

THOUGHT:
How do you comprehend both the majesty and the sacrifice of Jesus? We've been looking at our Lord's identity all this month and still we find ourselves amazed, delighted, bewildered, and blessed by his glorious and humble character. The main thing, however, is that he made peace between a perfect heaven and a flawed humanity. He made this peace at horrific cost, the shedding of his own blood on the torture tree at Calvary. He did this with all of God's pleasure and nature in himself. He did this because of our sin. He did this because of love.

PRAYER:
O Father, I am sorry that it took such a great sacrifice to atone for my sin. I am thankful that you loved so much that you would pay the price for that sacrifice. I praise you for bridging the distance that I could not cover that my sin created between you and me. May you be as pleased with me today and see my life as a praise for your costly grace. In Jesus' name I thank you. Amen.

~from http://www.heartlight.org~

~Randa~

All my chains ... I can't disengage, And I don't believe that I want to
One hand sings your praise, The other brings me shame
I have selfishness to blame ... And I'm singing for FREEDOM...
I know I'm not the only one, praying to the One who can bring me this FREEDOM...

I'm ready for change, broke down I lay I keep holding my chains
No longer bound but here I stay...I scream Father PLEASE.... I need rescuing
I need You and You alone. And I'm singing for FREEDOM...
I know I'm not the only one praying to the One who can bring me this FREEDOM...

I'm ready for (change) still You patiently await, Yet I won't just let go
I see You and You alone saying FREEDOM...
And so I'm singing for FREEDOM!
The time has come, separation lost the war to love. Take my hand grace has found you where You once began. You're Alive! You're Alive! in the waking of new life.. Take my hand, in the end there's only love, There's only love
There's only singing for FREEDOM!

I know I'm not only one
Praying to the One who can bring me this FREEDOM.. I'm ready for,
I'm ready for...
Father please I need rescuing...
I need You and You alone

~Freedom by Run Kid Run~
~Randa~

In honor of Joe Stephens...

Wow..yesterday was quite a day. We lost a good friend of many years in a tragic accident. He was a Truck Driver, a cowboy, a redneck (LOL!) but above all a great guy. So many people will miss him that I can't even begin to explain!! We as a community of friends, family & coworkers are DEVASTATED at this, our first fatality at the company my husband works for.

This "Band of Brothers" as I lovingly and humorously call these drivers stick together like glue. This loss is just unfathomable for anyone who doesn't drive a truck or haul a tanker. I won't even try to express the pain the family is in at this time.

But even in the midst of such a tragedy, God is ever present.

He carries us through the most difficult time times in our lives, healing our pain and grief, comforting our sorrows, helping us to continue on.

Psalm 73:23-26

23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Litmus Test

February 24, 2011

VERSE:
Remember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy Spirit.
-- 1 Corinthians 12:2-3

THOUGHT:
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit spoke through human writers to give us some absolute, bottom line, truth. When the Holy Spirit lives inside people, they are not going to curse Jesus. Instead, the Holy Spirit impels them to confess Jesus as Lord and Master -- not only as Lord and Master of all creation, but also the Lord and Master to whom they yield their hearts! Through Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the Holy Spirit declared Jesus Christ our Lord as the powerful Son of God (Rom. 1:4).

PRAYER:
Almighty God, I confess that I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, my Lord and Savior. I yield my heart to Jesus and pray that my life reflects his character and compassion. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart always be guided by your Holy Spirit and lead me to confess the glory and grace that I have found in my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

~SpiritFire! from www.HEARTLIGHT.org~
~Randa~