If you are reading this – it isn’t a mistake – you are meant to read this. If you are reading this – then know whatever family, friend, unknown, or even broken relationship we have, I love you. In fact, I love you enough that I cannot bear the thought of you enduring life without Jesus. Hey, before you roll your eyes and scroll on.... hear me out!
I once heard a story about a man waiting in line for McDonald’s. Another man came up to him randomly and said, “Excuse me sir, I really think you should have that spot on your neck looked at.” Now, the first man could have answered, “Don’t tell me how to live my life!” He could have shouted obscenities at him or even hit him in the face. He could have said, “Thank you” and never thought of the situation again. He could have pretended not to hear him. What he did do was go to his doctor and have the spot looked at and come to find out it was the first stages of skin cancer. Because he listened and reached out for help, he was saved..
Now the second man was a dermatologist and he had choices too. He could have thought, “Look at that poor dude, he is totally going to die.” He could have turned around and walked away – not my problem – not my patient. He could have pretended not to see. Instead, he boldly walked up to someone and proclaimed the truth. Now, he didn’t grab him by the shoulders, shake the stuffing out of him and make him panic. He didn’t grab the sick man and force him to go to the hospital. He simply told him the truth.
If you were going to die a painful and awful death, would you want someone to tell you the truth or pretend like everything is just fine? Well, here I am – I am telling you the truth. Jesus is the only way to an eternal life that is so amazing it will make your greatest day on earth feel like a perpetual standardized test day from elementary school. If you haven’t already, then put down your number 2 pencil and ask Jesus into your life. It isn’t hard and it isn’t scary just simply pray: Jesus come into my life. I know that I am a sinner, but please be my savior today and always. Amen.
Now, do what the sick man did and reach out for help or maybe you have given your life to Jesus but you don't know what or how to do life? Write me, talk to a pastor, reach out please! Because I cannot bear – no matter what has happened between us humans on earth – to have you live through what Jesus described in Mark. I love you – and I really do mean it. Love, Mary
Mark 13: 14-27
The Awful Horror
14 “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills. 15 Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along. 16 Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak. 17 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! 18 Pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter! 19 For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. 20 But the Lord has reduced the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days.
21 “Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it. 22 For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible. 23 Be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, 25 the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. 26 Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from one end of the world to the other.
