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Oct 19, 2023 18:30pm

When Your Life Depends On It

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I grew up in a small town, just outside of Batesville, Arkansas, in a little place called Cord. As I often tell people, we have more cows than people. Many of the families in our community were farmers in one way or another. Whether it was cows, sheep, pigs, or crops such as rice, soybeans, corn, or even peaches.

If you ever get a chance to grab a sandwich or a coffee at the store, you can sit for awhile and hear many of the men sitting around talking about one thing in particular – the weather.

It affects us all, but farmers for sure. They read the almanac, watch the weather reports on KAIT and watch the sky to see what’s coming. Hoping for rain at just the right time. Or hoping for dry skies for harvest or planting. When they see those clouds start to roll in, they can easily discern the truth of what’s about to happen. And they are going to be either joyful or sorrowfully disappointed.

Luke 12:54-56

“And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?”

Agriculture was huge in the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time. Their lives depended on having a crop, or making sure their animals were safe and fed well. Jesus knew just the right example as He gave them this warning.

He pointed out that they knew how to look at the sky and determine what was coming, whether it be rain, or a heat wave, and what it would do to their farming. So, why couldn’t they do the same as He spoke about His kingdom? The scriptures had been laid out for centuries, foretelling of the Messiah that would come. He fulfilled prophecy after prophecy and performed miracles throughout His ministry. The Messiah was here, in the flesh.

And they knew Him not.

He even talked about His death and resurrection, and that He would one day return for His children, but they still couldn’t see it. Even though their life depended on it.

Just as the farmer watches the sky, our eyes should be focused heavenward. And when He returns, we will either be joyful because we have trusted in Him or we will be filled with sorrow because the future that awaits will be nothing but pain, torment and destruction.

You can discern the weather, can you not discern the time? Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready?

If you’ve never trusted in Jesus, confessed your sins and turned to God, surrendered your life to Him, today is the day. Call out to Him in prayer. I can’t tell you what to say, that’s a personal conversation between you and Him. But I can tell you this – whatever you say, He will hear. Whatever is on your heart, He already knows, but He’s waiting for you to tell Him. Come to Jesus today by praying and asking for His forgiveness and salvation.