Left Behind?
|
Left Behind?
|
|
|
Riverside Church Bulletin - 01-13-08LEFT BEHIND?
She must have been scared to death. Little Mimi is
only two-years old and she was left behind at a fast-food restaurant
in Fort Worth last week. Daddy and mommy didn't miss her because they
thought she was in the company of the aunt who had taken her to a
birthday celebration at the food-chain. The parents only became aware of
Mimi's lost state when they saw her picture in the media two days later.
Talk about a nightmare! It boggles the mind to think what could have
happened to that little tyke. I'll bet the reunion with her folks was
sweeter than sweet! Yes, it can be dangerous to be left behind but
especially if no one knows about it.
This situation, however, is not foreign to us. Who
hasn't driven off from church leaving behind a child or two whom we
assumed was in the care of the other parent or some trusted friend--only
to find they were actually inadvertently abandoned. In Luke 2:41-50, the
boy Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem as His "parents" journeyed on
towards Nazareth in Galilee. They were unaware of His absence and
thought that He was elsewhere with someone known to them. The discovery
of His loss alarmed them and they couldn't put out an "amber alert." In
a state of anxiety, they had to retrace their steps back to the big city
where they found Him talking to the sages in the Temple. When the ruler
Joseph wanted Benjamin to remain behind in Egypt, Judah begged to be the
surrogate hostage. He pleaded, "How can I go to my father if the boy is
not with me?" Genesis 44:34. Sometimes, however, we leave children
behind emotionally or spiritually without realizing the danger we are
exposing them to. President Bush has an educational program called "The
No Child Left Behind" program. Parents must provide for all these needs
for their children--no child should ever be left behind educationally,
emotionally or spiritually as well as physically.
The biggest problem we face is not knowing something
sinister is happening. We are unaware of the loss. Have you ever known
people who accidentally discovered that they had some terminal disease?
"I was being diagnosed for this and they discovered that!" The danger
lies in "not knowing." After Samson's locks of strength were shorn off,
he did not know that the Lord had left him, Judges 16:21. The Lord's
patience with him had worn out. When the crisis came, Samson folded. The
Philistines abused him and turned him into a slave. What he didn't
know, hurt him. He had been left behind. It never dawned on him
that it could happen. But it did.
The gravest danger we face spiritually is not knowing
that we have broken our connection with the Lord. Many people who are
not Christians, think they are. They have not obeyed the gospel as the
Bible teaches, but imagine that they have the Lord. In the final scenes
of judgment, Jesus reveals that some people will be shocked that they
are lost, Matthew 25:44-45. They thought they had Him, but they didn't,
Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus describes His second advent (coming) as being a
time when some will be taken from the very side of those left behind,
Matthew 24:40-41. Being left behind then would be the most crucial
events of one's existence. Peter calls on us to "make our calling and
election sure," 2 Peter 1:10. So, sit down and evaluate how you "became
a Christian" and compare it with the Bible pattern. If it doesn't
co-coincide with the Bible, let's talk about it and make it right.
Some who obeyed the gospel have drifted away from him. They mistakenly
believe that He is still with them when, in fact, He has left. He does
not stay where he is not welcomed and loved. We show we love him by our
obedience, John 14:15; 15:14. Disobedient people will make a horrifying
discovery at judgment if they do not get their act together now. "Seek
him while he may be found, call on him while he is near," Isaiah 55:6.
Be obedient, be ready. Don't be left behind.
Love you all,
Al--"The Horne of Africa"
|
Copyright © 2001 - 2008
Southern Africa Bible
College - All Rights Reserved
|
