We purchased a new kitchen nook this past week and on Sunday I put it together. There were a couple of times as I was building it that I didn’t read the instructions correctly and got to a certain point and realized something was wrong. So I had to take the project apart to the point where I misread or didn’t pay attention and then start again from that point. This also used to happen to me as a kid when building a Lego set. The instructions are always there but sometimes they just weren’t read correctly and then what was being built was incorrectly assembled.

God is very precise. His instruction manual (the Bible) is there for us to learn from and to lean on. When we start to lean on our own understanding and stop seeking Him in ALL of our ways, then we start to build in a way that is off center and when we reach a critical point, we hopefully realize that we have been building in a wrong way, and then we have to start to tear down those bad ways and get back to the point where we are once again focused on how to live God’s Way.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 states a big warning for us: “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Our daily work in behaving as a Christian needs to be in our minds. It needs to be constantly built on. We do this by renewing our relationship with God through prayer and meditation and then find our answers and our strength by turning to the Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

But if we are not actively studying, then we are not learning and seeking God. We will begin to lose our precision. Satan is all about trying to distract us from the Truth and cause us to fall away from God. When we do something over and over again, we reach the point where we can do something very well, maybe without even looking at an instruction manual. The Bible though is an interesting manual in that it is a living manual that requires constant study as new information is actively being released to God’s true servants and the knowledge of it. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s word is ALIVE and ACTIVE. If we believe this to be the case, then why would we NOT want to be reading from the Word of God?

One of the greatest gifts we have is that the Word of God is available to each of us. This has not always been the case throughout history. With this in mind, we see that God tells us in Joshua 1:8 that we need to be studying it: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” When we study, we put out other thoughts and focus on what matters. This is true in anything we do. When we study a lot about something, we start to not only think that way but to act on those things that we have studied.

Another warning to remain precisely in tune with God’s Word is found in Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

The time is drawing nearer as we continue to closely watch world events and line them up with biblical prophecy. We have the time now to become precise with God’s Word. Let us make sure we are putting in the effort that is needed. Romans 15:4 says: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” We can have comfort from God’s Word if we are actually studying from it and learning, even in the most difficult of times. King David went through a lot of terrible times, yet his words in the book of Psalms always showed that he was precisely focused on God and dedicated in attempting to let God remain in control even in the most fearsome of circumstances.

We need to be precise when it comes to seeking God and reading His Word. We can have faith that the Word of God holds keys for us pertaining to our lives. Psalm 12:6 says that “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” That is precision. And it is the one thing that doesn’t change with time. It stays true for us and we can always rely on it. When we become precise in this Way, then we can have a proper relationship with the great Creator and Sustainer of our universe.

The use of plastic, paper and other packaging material is at an all-time high; and by extension, so is the waste of these products. For many years, the United States and other countries shipped much of their “recycling’” to China. Since 2017, China has stopped taking most recyclables, causing back-ups of trash and an increasing cost to cities which have recyclable programs. Growing up in the 90’s, everything was about recycling, but now we are starting to see the side effects, as no one wants to deal with the massive amount of waste. Many news articles show the negative impact recycling has had on the earth.

This is only one small instance of what we as human beings are doing to this earth. One only has to do a little research on-line to see the massive impact we are having on the destruction of this earth. From wrong farming practices to deforestation, when one looks at all the bad things that are happening as a whole, it can be depressing and demoralizing.

We know from Scripture that the end times will be terrible and brutal. Things we are seeing today will continue to grow worse. There is no end in sight either. So many of today’s wrongs are based on greed and feeding into people’s desire to get “more”. Our new free booklet “How Can We Know That Christ’s Return Is Near?” goes into great detail in looking at the signs of the times and helps to show how close Christ’s return is, when considering the things that are happening in the world. The wholesale destruction of the earth is but one facet.

God created earth and gave instruction to Adam and Eve to care for and to protect the earth. God is not pleased with the practices that we now see in effect.  Revelation 11:18 states: “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

We look forward to the coming Kingdom of God, when these practices will be changed; when people will learn from God how to properly take care of the earth; and when God will help to make massive changes for our planet. How excited does the plan of God make us? When we see the tremendous amount of things going wrong, does this cause us depression and fear? Or does it cause us to draw closer to God (James 4:8; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 29:13-14; Isaiah 55:6-7)? We should belong to those in the latter category, looking for and hastening the day of Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:11-13).

This world has nothing of real value to offer to us. We must come to the point where we see the issues and the errors of this life and really work for and pray for Christ’s return. When we observe the shambles of this world, compared with what God is saying will happen once the Kingdom of God is set up, it should cause us to really dig into what matters most. Christ’s admonition in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the Kingdom of God” and what that means should be foremost in our lives. This life will attempt to distract us and sidetrack our efforts. But if we are awake and aware of what is happening around us, we will understand that our efforts in doing what is right and needed are not in vain, and that this is exactly what God wants and expects of us.

Last Saturday here in San Diego, less than 20 minutes from where we meet in Ramona for Church services, a young man snapped and fired a gun in a synagogue and killed one person, and injured a few others. A senseless and cruel act of hatred! All around the world we are seeing a sharp rise in these types of deadly acts.

It is one thing to read about issues and problems halfway across the globe. But when we are confronted with them in close proximity, or people we know go through instances like the one above, things become much more “real”.

We know from Scripture that the early Church was plagued with many serious issues, including the members being persecuted in various ways. Christ’s bold statements in John 15:20 are a stark realization of what is coming: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.“ And again over in John 16:1-4, Christ warns that these things would happen, then and now. The road of being a Christian has never been an easy one. But the trail is becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing year. When we read Scriptures such as the ones listed next, it becomes evident that we have a NEED to be as close to God as possible: Acts 14:22; 1 Corinthians 4:8-12; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Matthew 10:16-33.

These are very real warnings for our time. We can see the signs of the times as listed above in 2 Timothy 3. We can see from the news and with our own eyes that these types of attitudes and actions are becoming more and more prevalent. From the time when I was a youngster until now, things have dramatically become unstable, and it will only continue to deteriorate.

How prepared are we?  We just celebrated the Spring Holy Days, which pictured us removing leavening (symbolic for sin) and drawing close to God. How diligent are we in keeping up with that? Have we started to slip back into our old ways, thoughts or habits? Have we truly worked to put out sin?

What is this Way of Life worth to each of us? Are we willing to stand up for the Truth (Ephesians 6:13-18)? Do we love God’s Way and commandments with ALL of our heart (Matthew 22:37)? Are we seeking Him diligently in all areas of our lives (Isaiah 55:6-7)? Are we willing to give up our lives for this Way of Life (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; John 12:25)? And are we willing to give up things for the Way (Matthew 13:44-46)?

If we are close to God as we should be, we do not need to fear anything.  Philippians 4:6 states that we do not need to be anxious about anything, once we set our sight on God and truly learn to lean on Him in faith for ALL of our physical and spiritual needs. 1 Peter 5:6-7 states we need to humble ourselves before God. While this world spirals out of control, each of us should take stock of what we read in Scripture. It is easy to research what the Bible has to say about not fearing, about seeking Him. But when things are easy, we tend to not be ready. Now is the time to prepare and be ready. The return of Christ is close at hand. How ready are each of us for the things that lie ahead? We must take the time and make the effort NOW (Hebrews 3:7-12)!