Ensign: This Is Not A Test
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3
AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 7 August 2015
This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
tobyMac's releasing an album today with the title I used, and I when I first heard about it on the radio a few months ago I wrote it down because I could SO see a message around it. But what message? In the words of my pastor, what "God moment" could I see in this?
For the next thirty seconds, this station will conduct a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
When I was growing up, I and I suspect most of you reading this remember the occasional commercial break on TV announcing the Emergency Broadcast System, a way for the federal government to announce guidelines for dealing with a national disaster.
This is only a test. *shrill loud noise for x seconds*
To the best of my knowledge, this never HAD to be used to broadcast emergency information, but you heard it practically every night (from 1963 to 1997; now it's the Emergency ALERT System) that I remember. And after a while, I hate to say it, it was easy to become inured to it.
The broadcasters in your area, in voluntary cooperation with the FCC and other federal, state, and local authorities, have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. Speaking from the inside, it's easy to get inured to that to. Yes, we have a spot in heaven reserved for us ... but we've still got life on Earth to live.
If this had been an actual emergency, the Attention Signal you have just heard would have been followed by official information, news, or instructions.
You and I could be here another few minutes, days, even decades before the Lord comes for us -- I know, I know, I'm "preaching to the choir" with this message, but choir members quit the church too -- but the fact is that we need to be ready, be growing as that "new creature" every minute.
This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
It's not always obvious (at least to me, maybe you have a better grasp on it) that we are growing up and out -- not physically but spiritually! But this isn't a test -- unlike video games, we don't get a second life or second chance to do right what we did wrong, do we?
But (I've learned that word in an acronym for Behold the Underlying Truth) this isn't a test, and you're not being graded on how righteous you were or how many holy, God-honoring acts you did in your life. You will hit and you will miss. You will please God and you will disappoint God.
The "God moment" is EVERY moment, and the test in how we choose (remind me to go into the difference between choosing and deciding some time) to be in every moment. And we can always be forgiven for a wrong answer -- but we still have to retake that part of the test. So don't give up.
Amen,
David
P. S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope it encourages you too. If I'm not or you want me to get lost, please let me know -- thank you!
Thank You, Lord, that we can come to You in praise and prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even the ones we don't know we have! Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.
Thank You, Lord, for all of us in leadership and service here and abroad, as well as for opportunities we have and the promise of new life! I pray we all seek and have a blessed week. Amen.
AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 7 August 2015
This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
tobyMac's releasing an album today with the title I used, and I when I first heard about it on the radio a few months ago I wrote it down because I could SO see a message around it. But what message? In the words of my pastor, what "God moment" could I see in this?
For the next thirty seconds, this station will conduct a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
When I was growing up, I and I suspect most of you reading this remember the occasional commercial break on TV announcing the Emergency Broadcast System, a way for the federal government to announce guidelines for dealing with a national disaster.
This is only a test. *shrill loud noise for x seconds*
To the best of my knowledge, this never HAD to be used to broadcast emergency information, but you heard it practically every night (from 1963 to 1997; now it's the Emergency ALERT System) that I remember. And after a while, I hate to say it, it was easy to become inured to it.
The broadcasters in your area, in voluntary cooperation with the FCC and other federal, state, and local authorities, have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. Speaking from the inside, it's easy to get inured to that to. Yes, we have a spot in heaven reserved for us ... but we've still got life on Earth to live.
If this had been an actual emergency, the Attention Signal you have just heard would have been followed by official information, news, or instructions.
You and I could be here another few minutes, days, even decades before the Lord comes for us -- I know, I know, I'm "preaching to the choir" with this message, but choir members quit the church too -- but the fact is that we need to be ready, be growing as that "new creature" every minute.
This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.
It's not always obvious (at least to me, maybe you have a better grasp on it) that we are growing up and out -- not physically but spiritually! But this isn't a test -- unlike video games, we don't get a second life or second chance to do right what we did wrong, do we?
But (I've learned that word in an acronym for Behold the Underlying Truth) this isn't a test, and you're not being graded on how righteous you were or how many holy, God-honoring acts you did in your life. You will hit and you will miss. You will please God and you will disappoint God.
The "God moment" is EVERY moment, and the test in how we choose (remind me to go into the difference between choosing and deciding some time) to be in every moment. And we can always be forgiven for a wrong answer -- but we still have to retake that part of the test. So don't give up.
Amen,
David
P. S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope it encourages you too. If I'm not or you want me to get lost, please let me know -- thank you!
Thank You, Lord, that we can come to You in praise and prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even the ones we don't know we have! Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.
Thank You, Lord, for all of us in leadership and service here and abroad, as well as for opportunities we have and the promise of new life! I pray we all seek and have a blessed week. Amen.
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