For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Sunday on my way to church I noticed a sign that seemed to point toward a cemetery and it read, "yard sale". Yard Sale--what on earth would they have to sell?
What do we have that God has not given to us? Is there something you possess or enjoy that has not been provided by the Lord? Well if we understand that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above (James 1:17) then we can surely say the answer is NO. Everything is provided by our Creator.
What do the dead have to sell? Obviously, I am being silly for we know when we leave this earth we take nothing with us. So if indeed this sign was pointing toward the grave yard--the profits of the day would be pretty poor.
Ah, but wait until the Lord returns and a worth that has been poured into lives is revealed-- then that grave yard will be hopping! The dead in Christ rising as the Lord makes his entrance! Yeah....now we have something of worth that has kept us during the days we were alive. Mortal flesh being transformed; "for the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).The Redeemer poured out his life on us--literally his blood to purchase mankind for himself.
See, we really possess nothing--but if we have surrendered ourselves --God possess us!
While on earth, all that he has entrusted to us is for us to share; to make sure no one around us is naked or going hungry. We can't fix the entire world, but we can just start with the ones God has put within our reach.
Bring someone lunch today; give away some clothes--not the one with rips, but the ones you really like. Let nothing possess us! Someone needs a day of rest--if you can, set it up and bless them.
On a personal note, I am looking forward to spending time with my two sisters, Betty & Iris. It seems we never spend time together--life continues to move and we don't stop. Well, if God wills, we are stopping and I am looking forward for a time to rest and laughter with my sisters.
My mom has been called to glory so we want to celebrate her memory. Ooooo I can't wait!
A yard sale at the cemetery has nothing to sell. What we find is a hidden treasure that no man can buy. We discover that the dead in Christ have had a transformation that redeemed their lives; One who paid the price and has made sure we are his forever! We are not for sale--we have been purchased by the Master!
The next time you drive by a cemetery, remember--soon there will be a party going on! The dead in Christ have taken this gift of eternal life with them and soon the transformation will be evident to all! The dead bones will rise!
Have you been transformed?
God bless you!~Liz
www.lizrod.com
