Lift up your hearts!

Luke 21:20-28

20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. 25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!

Food for thought!

Don't be afraid. Jesus is not scaring us; he is caring for us. He loves us so much that he warns us of the coming danger; Jesus does not only prepare us for heaven but for earth as well; he does not only tell us what to expect then, he tells us what will happen now. "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived."

In all these seemingly terrifying events, there is good news at the end: "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near! Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory." Jesus is saying that in all chaos, in all crisis, in all difficulty there is something good; there is good news. After the darkest night, the sun always rises. The dark of night prepares us for the rising of the sun. Or as someone once said, commented, “Crises and deadlocks, when they occur, have at least this advantage: that they force us to think.”

The Chinese character for crisis consists of two characters. The top character means danger, and the bottom character means opportunity. When you experience  crisis or problem, remember that it may be only a cloud hiding the face of the sun and opportunity. That is why Jesus is saying, "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" Let the power and warmth of the sun within you burn away the cloud that may attempt to dim your inner light. Let the sun of belief in life energize you as you climb to the pinnacle of overcoming. “Every man is two men; one is awake in the darkness, the other asleep in the light.

Many ancient people thought that the earth was flat, and, if one ventured too close to the edge, he would fall off. The phrase “the end of the world” became representative of a place where there was no solid ground for support. It was as if the earth ended at a particular point, and only emptiness lay beyond. Many of us have times when there seems to be no solid support on which we can walk, stand, or even rest. Jesus is training us how to survive and thrive in such end of the world times: "when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!"

The optimist recognizes opportunity in every crisis; the pessimist sees a crisis in every opportunity.