The year 2012 is upon us.
I plan to celebrate several milestones this year. One of those milestones is this very devotional which happens to be my 100th weekly message since January 2010.
There is another event which will take place this year that has captivated the imaginations of a great many people.
2012 also happens to be the year that the Mayan calendar comes to an end.
Some take this to be a sign of the end of the world.
Some of the television networks I normally count on for "historical" documentaries have begun the new year with a lineup of programming forecasting nothing but gloom and doom for 2012.
Personally, I do not worry about the Mayan calendar running out for a number of reasons which I will not devote any time to in this devotional.
As far as the documentaries I have seen thus far that discuss the end of the world, well I do not put a great deal of stock in them.
They mostly try to capitalize on people’s fear in order to garner bigger ratings and they are largely based on speculation.
Personally, I suspect that there are a great many people that are apprehensive about the end of the world as we know it.
Many of them will even cite scripture, albeit erroneously, in order to lend substance to their fears and the fears of others.
Just last year, a religious leader made the news with his prediction of the day in which the world would end in 2011.
Many of his followers sold all their possessions and awaited the hour.
When the hour came and then went without incident, a supposed miscalculation was to blame.
To be honest, this is not the first time someone has erroneously tried to determine when the end would come and it will certainly not be the last.
The simple truth is that only God knows when this will occur.
Mark 13:32-33 (NET) - But as for the day or hour no one knows it - neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son - except the Father. Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.
It bothers me when somebody makes a prediction as to the exact date on which the end will come.
I find any such predictions more than a bit presumptuous because the individual making that exact prediction is implying that he has some special insight that even Jesus does not have.
The end could occur this year, or the next or even beyond.
The simple truth is that we as human beings have no way of knowing.
That is why we experience so much fear and apprehension,
After all, it is a natural, human reaction to fear the unknown.
Yet those fears can be put to rest,
The question really should not revolve around when will the end come.
The better question to ask is: If the end were to happen soon, would I be ready?
Exactly how can one be ready?
The very best place to begin is to make absolutely certain that you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and then seek to do His will every day.
Jesus was asked what commandment was the most important.
He answered that we were to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
If we let our days revolve around these things, we will be ready and then the end will take care of itself... whenever it happens to arrive.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/
I plan to celebrate several milestones this year. One of those milestones is this very devotional which happens to be my 100th weekly message since January 2010.
There is another event which will take place this year that has captivated the imaginations of a great many people.
2012 also happens to be the year that the Mayan calendar comes to an end.
Some take this to be a sign of the end of the world.
Some of the television networks I normally count on for "historical" documentaries have begun the new year with a lineup of programming forecasting nothing but gloom and doom for 2012.
Personally, I do not worry about the Mayan calendar running out for a number of reasons which I will not devote any time to in this devotional.
As far as the documentaries I have seen thus far that discuss the end of the world, well I do not put a great deal of stock in them.
They mostly try to capitalize on people’s fear in order to garner bigger ratings and they are largely based on speculation.
Personally, I suspect that there are a great many people that are apprehensive about the end of the world as we know it.
Many of them will even cite scripture, albeit erroneously, in order to lend substance to their fears and the fears of others.
Just last year, a religious leader made the news with his prediction of the day in which the world would end in 2011.
Many of his followers sold all their possessions and awaited the hour.
When the hour came and then went without incident, a supposed miscalculation was to blame.
To be honest, this is not the first time someone has erroneously tried to determine when the end would come and it will certainly not be the last.
The simple truth is that only God knows when this will occur.
Mark 13:32-33 (NET) - But as for the day or hour no one knows it - neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son - except the Father. Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.
It bothers me when somebody makes a prediction as to the exact date on which the end will come.
I find any such predictions more than a bit presumptuous because the individual making that exact prediction is implying that he has some special insight that even Jesus does not have.
The end could occur this year, or the next or even beyond.
The simple truth is that we as human beings have no way of knowing.
That is why we experience so much fear and apprehension,
After all, it is a natural, human reaction to fear the unknown.
Yet those fears can be put to rest,
The question really should not revolve around when will the end come.
The better question to ask is: If the end were to happen soon, would I be ready?
Exactly how can one be ready?
The very best place to begin is to make absolutely certain that you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and then seek to do His will every day.
Jesus was asked what commandment was the most important.
He answered that we were to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
If we let our days revolve around these things, we will be ready and then the end will take care of itself... whenever it happens to arrive.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/
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