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Read 2 Peter 3:9-14
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (v. 10).
The business where I worked had an unwelcome visitor. The last employee locked up and went home. The late-night visitor gained entrance with a pry-bar and proceeded to do thousands of dollars of damage and also to steal some computers.
If only we had known he was coming! If he would have had the courtesy to call during business hours that day and let us know what he had planned, we could have prepared. We could have hired a guard for the night, but thieves in that part of the country do not give advance warning.
A thief in the night is a far cry from a welcome guest. Yet for those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, His return will bring the same element of surprise as would a thief in the night. Then again, while His coming will be “as a thief in the night,” He did let us know that He is coming. He even taught us about what would be going on in the world just before His return.
Jesus also told us what we need to know and be prepared for His coming. Those who repent, believe, and obey will be taken to heaven with Him. Those who reject Him will suffer needless, eternal loss. (Mark Avery)

Get ready; Jesus is coming.

This is the Tuesday, September 30, 2014 devotional reading of Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "Caught in the Act" by *sax used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.

Read Hosea 10:12-15
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (v 12).
I find myself in the time zone called Urgent. Daily stress challenges my peace, and joy trickles through my soul instead of springing up as a fountain. Tyrants abound in the form of deadlines and due dates, each demanding exclusive and immediate attention. Fellowship with believers is a luxury regularly snatched away by some unavoidable crisis. Time in the Lord’s presence is routinely interrupted with the question, “Can’t you do that later?” Yet God urges me to draw even closer to Him. I turn to Him for guidance and strength for the many challenges surrounding me. Reading or listening to God’s Word inspires, waters, and nourishes the shriveled and trampled down parts of my life until they again show signs of life.
In this chaotic season of life, God reveals areas I must yet cultivate so even the seemingly wasted areas of my life will glorify Him. He enables me to touch others for Him in the midst of our mutually hectic lives. Living in the time zone of Urgent, it is always time to seek the Lord. He is faithful to bring needed guidance and showers of refreshment for my soul. (LeeAnn Davison)
“The first goal of guidance is to lead us into a closer relationship with Jesus. All other goals should be subservient to that” (Lorne Cunningham).
This is the Friday, September 25, 2014 devotional reading of Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "prayer at night" by mrehan used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped.

Read 1 Samuel 12:13-15
“But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers” (v. 15).
Perhaps you have had the experience of following a mother with a small child through a grocery store. The experience begins in the produce section, where you first hear those words, “If you do that one more time, Mommy is going to have to spank you!” Of course, if you follow long enough, you will realize that the mother did not mean it at all.
Israel was not being warned by a doting parent. Israel was being warned by God through His prophet Samuel about the consequences of making poor choices. It is clear that Israel had a very short memory. Throughout their history, they failed and were judged. Fresh admonition came again, and they failed and were judged again. Their failure included wanting to be as other nations and have a monarchy instead of a theocracy, adopting pagan religions, and leaving off God’s commandments.
We are ripe for a harvest of penalties as we move farther and farther from the Judeo-Christian roots and God’s absolutes. We are faced with a truth crisis, and we can anticipate certain destruction of society as we move further from God’s pattern for an ordered society. (Lonnie Witt)

Photo credit: "DeCA opens new commissary in Belgium with a little help from USACE" by U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Europe District used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped, part of image blurred.