BBD 03.02.09 Overcharged
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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03.02.09
Overcharged
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves
roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those
things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be
shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption draws near. - Luke 21:25-28.
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down (overcharged -
KJV) with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come
on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on
the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may
be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of Man. - Luke 21:34-36.
Juan Zamora was overcharged a little when he put some gasoline in his Camaro
in Richland, Washington. Juan had $90 left on his debit card, and he thought
that would be more than enough for the fill up and it would have been if he
had only been charged the correct amount which was $26. After receiving an
email that his debit card was maxed out after the purchase, Juan called to
find out about it. What Juan found out was that he had been overcharged
$81,400,836,882!! Eventually, he was able to convince customer service that
it would not have been possible for him to have purchased that much fuel. No
one seems to know what went wrong but Juan thinks he will just pay with cash
in the future.
The word overcharge or overcharged has a couple of definitions: (1. An
excessive charge or price; (2. A load or burden that is too full or heavy.
For the Christian there is a cost involved for "carousing, drunkenness, and
cares of this life." Now it is obvious that the Christian should not be
carousing or even be in a drunken state but what about the "cares of this
life?" Even if we are Christians we have cares, and even some concerns in
life. In the parallel account in Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus says, "But as the
days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in
the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not
know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of
the Son of Man be." In the time of Noah the people were preoccupied with
trivial things and neglected spiritual concerns. The time that we are now
living in is very similar to that of Noah's.
What is the charge, the overcharge, the cost of living life for the trivial
and ignoring the more important spiritual matters? That the "Day come on you
unexpectedly." What is the "Day"? When we "see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27)." To live life oblivious to
the fast approaching time of the coming of our Lord will be costly. We will
feel like those little trivial things of life have cost us far more than the
$81 billion that Juan was overcharged. Now is the time for us to live our
lives fully for our Lord. Now is the time to "seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)." Now is the time to be "steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58)."
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