How Important is the Bible for People Living in the Last Days

Do you believe the world is going to end? If it is, how important do you think it is to know the Bible in the last days? Should it influence how you live? #EndTimes #BibleStudy #Blessings #Faith

Do you ever wonder if we are living in the “last days”?

Here’s what Paul said about the things we would see…

In the last days, there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
2 Timothy 3:1–5

The “last days” are all the days between Jesus’ ascension and His return. So, yes, according to the Bible these are the last days!

Yet, when you and I read Paul’s list it seems to describe much of what we see in the world right now . . . even among people who call themselves Christians.

So, what should we do?

First…

You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14–15

And the important next part…

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16

One of the reasons the list above is possible is because there is a prevalent problem with believing that some sections of the Bible can simply be ignored. If I don’t like it or if I don’t agree with it . . . I can ignore it! Sure it is tempting to begin with what we want to believe and then simply use and abuse Scripture to make our point.

And that is exactly how some self-proclaimed Christian teachers can say that God wants us all to experience financial prosperity, that there is no hell, that a person can declare their own sexual identity and preferences . . . and that it is perfectly fine to decide whether a baby should be allowed to live or die in the womb.

The Bible is essential for people living in the last days—today!

God gave us His Word—66 books and letters, 40 writers (yet only 1 Author), written over 1500 years all pointing to the same truth…

Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.
Romans 3:23–25

The Bible is completely trustworthy for these last days. It is our manual for life. And with the Spirit’s guidance, it will strengthen our faith and show us the best way to live.

A Prayer Thanking God for the Whole Bible in These Last Days

Father, I thank you! Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for Your love. Thank you for giving me Your manual for living. Please forgive me for listening to voices that contradict You and lead me to doubt. Forgive me for not faithfully checking the counsel of individuals against the Word of God. Please forgive us all for failing to treat our Bibles as the precious treasured gifts they are.

Please help me remember that this is not my home, I am just passing through. Thank you for the Bible which tells me what to expect in these last days and how I can live them with peace, joy, contentment and so much more. Lord, Your love overwhelms me. You are so gracious and good. I thank You and praise You. Please draw me close and help me humbly trust and follow Your will. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Pause today and ponder the fact that God cares so much about you and your future that He spent years writing a love letter to you.

On today’s note write:

God gave the gift of the Bible for these last days.

May God bless you today and help you turn to and trust His Word.

Click here to read the rest of 2 Timothy 3.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

Take a moment to subscribe to Counting My Blessings and join more than 7500 of us as we read the New Testament together. We will share short posts every Monday through Friday that you can read each day or save for the weekend. Let’s study God’s Word together!

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Important Reasons You Need to Know the Truth

3 / 1 / 212 / 9 / 21

When Jesus told His followers about His return at the end of the world, He told them to "Know the Truth" and "Be Prepared." Here's why... #BibleStudy #EndTimes #Faith #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

Have you ever noticed all the euphemisms we use instead of actually calling something a lie?

We…

stretch the truth.
manipulate the truth.
mislead.
are inaccurate.
misrepresent the facts.
tell half-truths.

My family will tell you there is nothing that upsets me more than lying it doesn’t matter what you call it.

And that may be the reason I love the absolute truth of God’s Word.

Jesus said…

“I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
John 18:37

And

“I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.”
John 15:26

I believe Jesus is and has always been TRUTH. He even described Himself as:

“the way, the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6

So, when He prophesied about the future . . . we can believe Him.

In Mark 13, Jesus told His disciples about near future and far future events. And you and I live in the time between the near and the far. In fact, it is because Jesus’ near future prophesies have happened that we know we can count on ones yet to come.

He warned of trials and tribulations, betrayals and wars and earthquakes and lies.

And that’s why, He impressed upon them the importance of knowing the truth.

When we know and trust the TRUTH…

We won’t be:

Misled

Don’t let anyone mislead you for many will come in my name, claiming “I am the Messiah.”
Mark 13:5–6

Worried

When you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say.
Mark 13:11a

We will be:

Alert

Since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
Mark 13:33

Obedient

The coming of the Son of Man is as a man who went from his house to a far country. He gave each one of his servants some work to do.
Mark 13:34a (NLV)

Faithful

The one who endures to the end will be saved.
Mark 13:13b

Jesus told His followers the importance of being ready and prepared.

I tell you this, and I say this to everyone: ‘Be ready!’”
Mark 13:37

In a world where the father of lies constantly taunts and tempts us, you and I need to know the truth about Jesus so we are ready and prepared for the day we will meet Him face to face.

A Prayer to Know the TRUTH

Father, please forgive me for not consistently and faithfully turning to Your Word that I might know the truth about Jesus. Forgive me for selfishly focusing on my wants and worries. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, make me a SEEKer and give me everything I need to love You with all I am and to love others as You wish.

I believe Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Please give me the courage, strength, wisdom, and discernment I need as I wait and watch for Jesus. In whose name, I pray. Amen.

You and I are so very blessed. We have the living and active Word of God because God loves us so much . . . He wants us to know the truth.

Jesus said in His High Priestly Prayer:

Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
John 17:17

And that is my prayer for all of us today. That we will KNOW the TRUTH who frees us from the enemy’s lies.

On today’s note write:

In a world of lies, Jesus is the TRUTH!

God bless you today as you turn to Him to know the truth so you are able to reject anything that’s not.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

Check out our new Facebook Page/Group – #WWGGG – What Would Give God Glory. We’d love for you to join the movement!

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment.

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The Best Way to Be Prepared for Jesus

2 / 4 / 211 / 19 / 21

In Matthew 24, the disciples received some very specific instructions to help them be prepared for Jesus' return. What they needed to know and how to wait. #BibleStudy #EndTimes #Hope #Jesus #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

So much has been written about the end times . . . even people who deny Jesus talk about the world coming to an end.

I love that Jesus didn’t want His followers to be uninformed; so this week leading up to His suffering, death, and resurrection, He paused to talk about near future and far future events.

[Jesus] disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”
Matthew 24:3–6, 10–12

His words were intended to prepare disciples of every generation that we might all be focused on Him watch for “the day your Lord is coming.” (v. 42)

My friend, Louise, loved Jesus and she loved learning all she could about His Word, His promises, and His return. Her eyes sparkled every time she talked about Him.

And although we didn’t believe exactly the same things about what we could anticipate in the season preceding Jesus arrival on earth. We did agree about the most important thing.

We all need to be prepared for Jesus! We need to watch and pray!

And being prepared means keeping our hearts and minds focused on Jesus. It means loving the Lord, our God, with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength. It means loving others in ways that show them His life-changing grace, mercy, and love. It means sharing the hope only He can give.

Jesus said…

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. People were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings. They didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came. So you, too, must keep watch! (Paraphrase Matthew 24:37–39, 42a

So today, let’s pray and ask Jesus to fill us with His Spirit and help us to be focused on Him and prepared for Him to come and take us home.

The Best Way to Be Prepared for Jesus

Lord Jesus, Thank you for promising me an eternal future with You in heaven. Thank you for willingly sacrificing yourself for me that I might know the debt of my sin has been paid in full.

Please keep me focused on You, Lord. Keep me faithful to reading Your Word and spending time with You in prayer. When false teachers tickle our ears with tempting teachings, please fill me with Your Spirit and remind me of Your Word and promises. Please give me Your peace when my world is full of chaos and confusion. Give me courage and strength in a day of persecution and betrayal.

I love You, Lord. And I wait with hope to see you “appear in the heavens, coming on the clouds with power and great glory to gather Your chosen ones from all over the world.” (Matthew 24:30–31) Amen.

Friend, the enemy uses so many things trying to take our focus off Jesus. He wants to divide us and distract with different beliefs about the end times. But with the Spirit’s help we can prayerfully watch with faith and hope.

We can be prepared for Jesus!

On today’s note write:

Watch and pray with faith and hope.

Take a few minutes to read all of Matthew 24 to learn more of the things Jesus said about His glorious return.

May God bless you today with faith, hope, and love.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

You can also…

Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

Check out our new Facebook Page/Group – #WWGGG – What Would Give God Glory. We’d love for you to join the movement!

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

I’m asking God to bless you today!