September 18th

Just Making Sure

Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:20-21

Life is full of choices. We've all heard that, right? But here's one choice you don't want to miss: Enter God's rest or face His wrath.

I know, that doesn't sound like much of a choice, does it? It's like, gee, let me think about that one for a second. No, the choice is obvious there, but what a lot of people don't realize is that they are flirting with wrath instead of choosing to rest.

Look again at our verses today and let me tell you what they mean. God is calling His people to come to Him, everyone who will come, just come and be safe. Come and be safe, just like Noah and his family were safe in the ark when the flood came, just like Moses and the Israelites were safe when the angel of death passed over Egypt and killed all the firstborn.

In those stories, everyone who entered their chambers and shut their doors behind them were safe. God protected them until the punishment was past. A day is coming soon when God will pour out His wrath on the earth-a day called the Great Tribulation, a seven year period in which the vast majority of people will die, the earth will be filled with natural disasters like never before, and fire will rain down from Heaven.

But God calls us away from this wrath. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 tells us, For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is God's desire for us, that like a good groom, He will take us as His bride away from the destruction before it happens, hiding us away from it until it is done.

This is His desire, it's what He wants, but we still have a choice to make. Will we choose to rest in the work of Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins? Or will we choose trust in something else-ourselves, our church membership, our good and moral life, our Christian parents, or some other thing?

Only one thing will save us from God's wrath, and it is choosing to rest in Jesus today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You desire to save me from wrath! I certainly want to be saved from wrath, and I realize that means that I need You. Please forgive me today for my sins and save me from Your coming wrath!

Amen