Proof of Life

As the drums of war beat more loudly, some of us are closer to Eternity than others. The Last Days were always going to be like that, so none of this should be a surprise. The only thing that really worries me is where you will be, when your time to step into the next life comes.

I don’t really like talking about this, but only someone who did not care about you, would refrain from speaking on this subject. And yes, I really do care.

So, let me ask you one of the most important questions anyone will ever ask in these Last Days:

Do you have proof of life?

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Proof of Life

One of my earliest and most important friends is someone that I will call Bill. He might not even be a man. (Just trying to keep this as anonymous as possible. Some of you might recognize who he/she is, if I said too much.)

Bill wasn’t just a good friend, but also a mentor of sorts. I learned a lot from him, some of which I had to unlearn. And, when I began to realize how wrong I was in my Christian walk, my friendship with Bill hit the rocks.

What was it that caused me to wake up?

I Had No Fruit

It was this passage:

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 – Matthew 7:15-20

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7:15-20&version=KJV

It was that last one that stabbed me in the heart. I looked at myself and didn’t see ANY fruit. And, as I read through my Bible, I kept running into verses about the fruit that we should have.

And, I didn’t have any.

This troubled me greatly, because I knew that we had a purpose on Earth, to serve God. And, when you serve God, there is always evidence that your service was acceptable to God. It can happen in many ways, and each of us will bear fruit differently. But, it WILL be fruit.

And, I knew, in my heart that I was without fruit.

So, God Dug Around In My Life

Now, fruit doesn’t always spring up immediately. Sometimes one tree will take longer to bear fruit, and there can be a lot of reasons why. But, eventually, fruit MUST COME, if the tree is real:

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 – Luke 13:6-9

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+13:6-9&version=KJV

God DID dig around in my life, and I hope to never go through that again. I still bear the scars of that period of time, and I would wish none of that on anyone. But, I needed it.

And, I am grateful to God for it.

Why?

Well, that first passage is followed by this one:

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 – Matthew 7:21-23

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7:21-23&version=KJV

Knowledge Is NOT Enough!

Just because you claim to believe that Jesus is God the Son, that He died and rose again… that’s not enough

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

 – James 2:18-20

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2:18-20&version=KJV

Knowledge just isn’t enough, and I was all about knowledge. I was a Pharisee (aka, Parosh). I had lots of knowledge and could whack you over the head with it, but I didn’t have anything else.

Everyone should know by now, the parable of the talents. You can find it here:

Matthew 25:14-30
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:14-30&version=KJV

When you read that, you’ll see the one servant who buried his talent.

That was me.

And, here’s the last verse of that parable:

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 – Matthew 25:30

What a horrifying outcome, and I was on the path for that, since my talent was safely buried where it would do no one any good. But, in reality it gets worse.

The Sheep And Goats

The parable of the talents is followed by one that is NOT a parable. They call it the ‘Parable of the Sheep and Goats’, but it’s not a parable at all. It’s a description of what will happen, and when it will happen.

How do I know this?

Because it starts like this:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

 – Matthew 25:31

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:31&version=KJV

Parables start out like this:

The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto…

But, that’s not what Jesus says. He says:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory…

Jesus said ‘WHEN’, not ‘LIKE UNTO’.

And, when Jesus returns, He will divide all who were in covenant relationship with Him. On the one side, there will be those who are sheep – servants of God who bore fruit. On the other, goats – servants who buried their talent, who did not bear good fruit (or any fruit).

Both sides will be shocked at God’s judgment. The good servants will not understand the good that they did. The evil servants will not understand the evil that they did. And, the rule by which He judged both was their service to the least of His brethren. Here is what The King will say to the evil in His Kingdom:

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

 – Matthew 25:45

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:45&version=KJV

I know that it is hard to understand how you have ‘done it unto the least of Christ’s brethren’, but I can tell you that I quake at the knowledge of my past barrenness. I was certainly NOT meeting the needs of the brethren, in any way.

I Had No Love

I had no love for my brothers and sisters in Christ, and Jesus spoke of that here:

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 – John 13:35

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13:35&version=KJV

Oh… OUCH!

How was I going to fulfill the Great Commission, if I had no love for my brothers and sisters in Christ?

Well, I wasn’t going to be able to. If you want to know The Great Commission, it’s here:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 – Matthew 28:18-20

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28:18-20&version=KJV

As you can probably tell, I wasn’t doing that. Not even close. In fact, God had been blocking me from that. He was keeping me from my desire and promise to serve God, until He had fixed what was wrong in my life.

Thankfully, God did that digging around the roots. It was difficult, and I’m sure that there’s still more work for God to do in my life. And, God placed Mrs. Little in my life to help me in that process.

Bill Was Not So ‘Lucky’

Unfortunately, Bill has not been so lucky. When I started down that road of humility and sanctification, my friend didn’t make the turn and kept traveling down the road that he had been on. And, when that happens, friendship becomes difficult. In my case, pretty much impossible.

Then, out of the blue, I received the kind of harsh and bitter communication that was Bill’s ‘trademark’. I knew him well enough to know EXACTLY what he was saying, and I let him know that I knew. That touched off a round of emails that finally resulted in a painful message to him, much like the one the above – but a lot shorter.

After that…

…deafening silence.

I hope that I’m wrong about Bill, but I’ve seen the damage that he’s done to others. So, there’s not much hope that I’m incorrect. The shattered lives that he has left in his wake is a testament to who and what he is. But, while he’s alive, there’s still hope that he will repent.

But, What About You?

But, what about you?

I’m sure that you aren’t like Bill, or even like I was. But, you don’t need to be that bad to suffer loss, for eternity.

What is your fruit like?

Have you buried your talent?

Do you love your brothers and sisters?

Are you serving the least of Christ’s brethren?

Yes, I know that the drums of war are beating. Our civilization stands at the brink of death and destruction. And, we need to prepare for that.

But, what use is it to prepare, when your place in Eternity is in question?

Our job on this Earth is not survival, but service. Yes, we seek to survive what is coming, but not to prolong a miserable, barren life that is full of bitterness. We are all just a few steps from Eternity. Some of you might not make it past tomorrow. Most of you will have a longer road to walk. But, none of us will make it out of this life, alive. Even those who make it to the Rapture, will still exchange these dead and dying bodies with those that are eternal.

So the question remains about what you will be doing with what is left of the life that you have.

Are you really dedicated to serving God with all of your heart, mind, soul and body?

If you aren’t, then you need to ask yourself, why. And, while you are at it, you should be inspecting your soul and spirit.

What kind of fruit do you have?

Are there signs of life?

 

I truly hope that you’ll be ready for this

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.Proverbs 22:3

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If you find a flaw in my reasoning, have a question, or wish to add your own viewpoint, leave a comment on the website. Your input is truly welcome.

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