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Rise! from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

What if you knew today was your last one, and you would be standing before the judgment seat of Christ in a matter of hours. Would that affect how you lived your life right now? It shouldn't. I feel too many times, we are focusing on our immediate worldly needs while ignoring the eternal. Then it slips up on us, just like Christmas. I mean, the Lord understands, and there will always be time for Jesus later, right? Maybe not. This is what He said:

(Luke 12:16–21 NKJV)  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Today is the day of salvation, for none of us are promised tomorrow. Now is the time to be getting to know the Lord Jesus. Oh yes, it's great to throw yourself into your work, but don't forget about God while you are doing it. Include Him in it.

God called the man in the parable above a fool, not because he was wealthy, but because he wasn't rich toward God. He just failed to include God in his plans. The term "fool" is one of the strongest derogatory words used in the Bible. Matthew 5:22 states that whoever calls his brother a fool is in danger of hell. Yet, here is another foolish man Jesus spoke about:

(Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV)  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Notice their homes were being built by what they had been doing on Earth. And though the houses looked similar on the outside, adversity revealed what their foundation was built on. Distress came suddenly, and there was no time to go strengthen the foundation. What happened to them when trouble came to town? The wise man who had been hearing the words of Jesus and doing them stood the test of time, while the other had a great fall.

OK, enough about fools who think they can put off knowing God until later. That isn't any of us, right? We are smarter than that. So here is a word for today:

(Psalm 40:1–2 NKJV)  I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

While preparing this message, I saw a vision of a man struggling in black waist-deep mud, almost like quicksand. He was looking left and right in a panic, trying to get free, yet slowly sinking deeper. Then the Lord lowered him a rope from above, and the man took hold of it. The Lord said, "Rise!" and He began pulling the man free. But then the man looked back down, and the mud seemed to come alive, and it reached out arms to drag him back down. The Lord tugged hard on the rope three times and said, "Rise, Rise, Rise!" So the man looked back up to the Lord, and he began to rise up out of the mud. The only way for him to get free was to keep looking up, keep his eyes on the Lord, hold tightly to the rope he had been given, and not take it for granted that it would always be there.

Someone feels like they are sinking, but the Lord is throwing you a lifeline. Embrace it, and keep your eyes on Him, for He is your only way out. Don't bother looking left or right but continue looking up. For if given a chance, those around you will drag you back into it. Only Jesus wants you to go free.

Rise!

Rise!

Rise!

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for all You've done for me! Please set me free from the things that hold me back from living in Your perfect will. I want to be a part of what You are doing on the Earth today and for You to be a bigger part of my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!