.................................................................................................................................................
Let the Clouds Remind You!
by Phil Ware
The Jesus Window
“My heart leaps at the
thought that these clouds might be the clouds of his glorious return.”
As followers of
Jesus, the clouds hold a message of hope for us, not just a warning.
Anyone living in north central Texas,
western Oklahoma, and Kansas would be wise to watch the sky in late spring.
While modern meteorology and advanced
weather forecasting can predict the possibility of dangerous storms, old-timers
still look at the clouds.
Meteorologist look at their Doppler
radars for hook clouds and rotation. Old-timers check the clouds:
Are they coming together from different directions?
Are they filled with both cloud-to-cloud and
cloud-to-ground lightning?
Have the clouds changed color from indigo to dark purple
or dark green?
Are the high, dark, clouds in the west advancing with an
eery calm with descending darkness?
For farmers and ranchers whose families have lived in
these areas for generations, the conditions reflected in the clouds are
stronger warnings for them than severe weather warning sirens.
“Watch the clouds,” these weather watchers will tell you, “because the
clouds will let you know when danger is coming. Ignore them at your own risk!”
As followers of Jesus, however, the clouds hold another
message for us:
“This Jesus, who has been taken up from
you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
“To him who loves us and has freed us from
our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his
God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is
coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him...” (Revelation 1:5-7).
The clouds can remind us that Jesus will return to us in
the way his first disciples saw him leave them (Acts 1:11).
Our resurrected Lord has not finished his work with
planet earth. He has left for a while but with the promise that he will return.
Jesus' resurrection ensures that when he returns he will
bring with him all those who have gone to be with him after their physical
bodies have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 1:19-23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10).
They will be given new immortal bodies, like Jesus’
immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
Those who are still alive when the Lord returns will
also have their bodies changed into immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-54), and they will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
This glorious day of victory and reunion is the promise
God gave us with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus was the first fruit:
the first of many to be raised never to die again (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
His victory over sin, death, and hell will become our
victory (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, 53-58).
Every cloud we see can be a reminder of the glory that
awaits us (Romans 8:18) and the victory and reunion that lie
ahead for all of us who belong to Jesus.
Yes, I will continue to watch the clouds in late spring
where I live. I’ve seen dark clouds spin up horrible tornadoes, drop
grapefruit-sized hail, cause flash flooding, and generate powerful
straight-line winds.
But, with each cloud, I also see the promise and hear the
whispered reminder of Jesus’ revelation to John on Patmos:
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and
every eye will see him!”
And my heart leaps at the thought that
these clouds might be the clouds of his glorious return. I see them and think
to myself:
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus. We long to join the angels who
bow before your throne!
Phil Ware has
authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works
with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has
been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God's Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily
devotionals on each of the four gospels. (Visit the Author's Website)
No comments:
Post a Comment