Preparing to Meet Jesus

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. And now, here's your host, Steve Noble. Steve, thank you so much for joining us today. Steve, thanks so much for joining us today. Steve, thank you so much for joining us today. Steve, thanks so much for joining us today. Steve, thanks so much for joining us today. I enjoyed doing this.

I love doing interviews with mom, but yeah, we'll see how this goes. Have you ever been to Vegas? No, I haven't.

Well, you have now. So this will probably be the closest you ever get. Anyway, it's great to have you in here.

Thanks for the time. Let's just, before we get into the book, what's it like to work together? I'm the only one of the four kids in my family and that didn't work for my dad. So I've never really done anything like that with a family member, but what's it been like for you to work together? For me, it's been a joy. And it's been really a blessing to see Rachel Ruth just blossom into her gifting and into, I think, the position that God has given her. And she's very anointed, if I can use that word, gifted in her insights into scripture.

So when you go through this book, she's taken 21 characteristics of Rebecca and pulled them out as characteristics that God the Father is looking for in the bride for his son. And I've read that story. I've taught that story. I've been blessed by that story.

I could see the symbolism of the father sending the servant to look for the bride, but I never would have picked up on those characteristics. So it's really, I love to discuss the scriptures with her. We did a live Zoom last night for people who had helped to launch the book. And it was just very fun to interact, because we're not as crazy as you, but we're not serious. We talk about serious things, but we do it in a fun way. And what's it been like for you, Rachel Ruth?

I've loved it. I mean, I feel like it's kind of a Paul Timothy situation. And all growing up, I guess I don't think highly of myself. I've just, I was the kid that struggled in school and had ADD and, you know, I had a learning disability in reading comprehension, which is kind of funny.

That is funny. You know that I'm writing books now, but so, but it is evidence of what God can do in somebody's life, that he takes your weaknesses and then he is strong. But watching mom and talking to her every day, I'm asking what she's studying in scripture every day and being able to grow and watch her do interviews and read her books and everything.

I've learned so much. And so to be able to work with her is such a blessing. We have the best time together and it just flows somehow.

It really is, oh, it's wonderful. Was there a moment when, and you asked her to do something with you? Or was it like you had been discussing it and maybe one day, Rachel, Ruth, when you feel comfortable, we'll start working together?

Or was it one thing that kind of launched it? Well, I don't know it launched this, but I can remember the first thing I asked her to do, we were in South Africa, she had gone with me. And I was on a speaking tour in South Africa hosted by the St. James church in Cape town.

And the last weekend I did a series of messages at a conference that they put on at St. James. And was it Saturday night? Anyway, I asked her if she would share her testimony and she'd never, I don't remember the truth. So she got up and it was sort of like a command performance. I didn't give her the option, but she got up and did it.

Yeah, moms are good at that. Yeah, it was amazing. And then the same day that she was to graduate from Baylor, she was supposed to walk across the platform to get a diploma. Instead, she came with me to the Rose Bowl and there was a chosen women event and she shared her testimony and got a standing ovation at the end. And so that's been a long time ago, but those are two times I can remember when I put her on the spot and asked her to take a stand and she did in an incredible way. And then the next time God got my attention, she was asked to speak at the women's coffee or whatever it was, Christmas coffee at the Cove, at the Billy Graham training center at the Cove.

So they have 500 women there and they're packed in there for this beautiful event. And they had Rachel Ruth speak. And so I went to support her.

I just thought I'd go there to be by her side. And I was sitting in the audience listening to Rachel Ruth and I was blown away. And I thought, oh my goodness, Rachel Ruth is not a speaker. She's a preacher. And at the end, she gave the invitation.

There were like 16 women that stood to receive Christ. And so that was what got my attention, that this is more than just she's gifted. How did you process what was going on, Rachel Ruth?

I don't know. I think this is another example where mom has been a great example to me because she's never been about herself. She's not about making her ministry into some big thing and get all this attention and stuff.

It's just, she does what God tells her to do. And I honestly feel like it's just, I'm doing what God's told me to do. And he's kind of opened doors and I'll study God's word. He gives me a message and I give it out. But every time I finished giving a message, I know that the Lord knows I know that it was a miracle because he just transformed me and really is using the least likely person to do this.

And so, but anyhow, and then it's just kind of unfolded and worked well. Yeah, you saw yourself like Gideon saw himself. I'm the least of the least of the least. And God's like, yeah, I'm not gonna do this your way. I see things a little differently. Preparing to meet Jesus. We're gonna unpack this.

It's a great book, a great 21 day devotional that Anne wrote with her daughter, Rachel Ruth. Lots right. This is Steve Noble on the Steve Noble Show. We're gonna dive in when we come back. Don't go anywhere. ["The Steve Noble Show"] Well, for some reason, welcome back.

It's Steve Noble on the Steve Noble Show. For some reason, I feel like I should remind you this is not CBN. I don't think you'd hear that music on most Christian shows of any kind, but you'll hear it here because I like to push buttons. But the button we're gonna push today is simply a question. Are you ready? Are you prepared to meet Jesus?

Do you even think about it? Listen, I'm saved. It's done, right?

Jesus said it's finished. Am I prepared to meet him? Are you prepared to meet him if he shows up at 1.30 in the morning tonight and you are by yourself with a computer or a smartphone? Are you prepared to meet him when you said what you just said or didn't say what you should have said to your spouse? Are you prepared to meet him in the middle of something with your son or at work, whatever the case may be, because he's gonna show up in a mysterious way out of the blue. And the question is, are you prepared to meet him?

Or maybe it's because you're not gonna see next week. You're not gonna see September and your life is gonna end. And are you prepared to meet Jesus? That's the name of the book. 21-Day Challenge to Move from Salvation to Transformation. Our good friend Anne Graham Lotz, her wonderful daughter Rachel Ruth Lotz Wright wrote this together. But these 21 days, Rachel Ruth was your job, which you did an incredible job. It's really a great read. It's available. You can go to Anne's website, you can go to amazon.com and make Jeff Bezos richer if you want to.

But it's really fabulous. It's an easy read and it'll take you through these 21 days. What kind of was the launching point here? And this is a little personal because Anne you had a challenge with cancer and Rachel Ruth, I was shocked when I heard about your challenge with heart issues because I'm like, wait a minute, she's really young. Was that kind of a wake up call in terms of this book? Well, actually I had been teaching through the book of Genesis in my Bible study and I taught Genesis 24 and loved it. And I actually got asked to speak to a bride's luncheon and I was like, I'm just gonna try and pull out some characteristics of Rebecca. And so it was just on my mind and then we had decided to do a book on it and then everything happened with me. And so it just came alive.

And for some reason I feel like I'm living, I live what I end up teaching in Bible study every week and then now it's the books that I write. But I ended up having two SCAD heart attacks, rare SCAD heart attacks which is spontaneous coronary artery dissection. And I was 47, perfectly healthy, no cholesterol problems or anything and went in for a routine stress test that just was terrible. I won't even go into it, it was a really bad situation. And left with chest pain, I just thought I've pulled my muscles or something on the treadmill, I don't know. And four days later was rushed to the hospital and had these heart attacks which I should have died from.

There's no explanation. My heart, my artery shredded from top to bottom, one of them. And so, and there's a whole story there. But anyhow, I survived it because God brought me back and mom and Maro were in the room, my sister Maro and my mom praying over me and God just miraculously brought me back. But I could have seen Jesus that day. And so it was in the recovery from those heart attacks, I wasn't allowed to do anything, I just sit on the couch.

And so I just got my computer and this book just came. And so it's not just about the fact that we believe Jesus is getting ready to come back which we do, but it's also we could meet Jesus because of heart attacks or cancer or a car wreck or something like that. Was this subject and something that you were, that was a regular part of your walk prior to all these challenges and even like when Danny passed, was it? You were questioning yourself, am I ready? No, I didn't question myself, am I ready?

But I want to be more ready. I want to, so when I get to heaven, I don't want to squeak through the door. They say that Lot in the New Testament was a righteous man but you can't see it from the way he lived his life in the Old Testament. And so I would say he was saved as though by fire. Everything that he'd done in his life was burned up when he went in to be saved. And barely escaping the flames as the scripture says. So I don't want to be saved. I want to be saved, but I don't want to enter heaven like that.

I want to have an abundant entrance, which Peter describes. And so I just want the fullness of what God has for me to be lived out in my life. And I've felt that way, Steve, for years and years. So my little mantra, I keep my eyes on eternity. I want to please Jesus in five minutes before I see him.

I want to have as few regrets as possible. So that's the driving, a lot of what drives me. This book just articulates the need that we have to prepare to see Jesus. And I think Rachel, Ruth's heart attacks, my cancer journey, all of that came together to affirm that this is a message that needs to go out. And I believe with all my heart, as we've written this, I'm very convinced that this is God's message of the hour because Jesus is coming. And it says in there that his bride has made herself ready. I think that's the epigraph of the verse I used. And she had to make herself ready.

She had to just focus on the things that would be pleasing to him. And the world is so wicked today and so corrupt and so chaotic and so confused and all of that, that if we're not careful, we're going to get caught up in that. So we have to keep our focus on the Lord. We have to be in scripture. We have to be in prayer, living it out and sharing the gospel with those around us and letting God transform us.

Because the subtitle is moving from salvation to transformation. I think a lot of people, as you've indicated, they're saved and then they get their ticket to heaven and that's that, then it's finished. But it's not, that's the first step. Right, that gets you in the pool. Yeah, the first step is that you commit your life to Jesus.

And then from then on, it's step by step by step, every day of your life until you see him face to face. So we have peace, we have joy, we're content, but there's an intensity there, isn't there? Yes.

This forward motion, there's an intensity. And I think that there's, we don't do that. We kind of, we take peace and we take contentment and we turn it into something that it's not meant to be, which I think is apathy.

Yeah, exactly. And I think there's an intensity that's a compulsion. When you take a good look at who Jesus is and what he has done to take away our sin and open heaven for us, Steve, with all my heart, I want to have something to give him when I see him. I want a life that's been well lived for him, a life that's as fruitful as he would enable it to be. I want to please him.

I want to see the expression of joy on his face when he sees me and so that, the opportunity for that is now. So when you step into eternity, all that goes away. Right, all that goes away. No more opportunity to live a life of faith, to live a life of trust and all that kind of stuff. We'll get into this with Rebecca, but let me just set this up.

I don't have much time, but this is too big of a question for a minute and a half, but we'll start. For me, when I got married, really all I needed to do was shower and put a tux on. But what was it like for you as the bride? Because this is where, guys listening, we're going to struggle with this whole notion of, I'm the bride of Christ. We'll deal with that. But what was that like? Did you feel this intense pressure? Like, am I ready to be presented as a bride on my wedding day?

A hundred percent. Today's my anniversary. Oh, happy anniversary. There you go. I just unplugged it. You're fine. Oh yeah, just put it back in. You're good. You're back. Well, you never really left.

Okay, good, yeah. Is it 26? 26 years, yeah.

26 years. Wow. Happy anniversary.

Yeah, but it is. I mean, there was so much, you had to get ready. The flowers and the dress and the fittings and makeup and how are you going to do your hair and where is it going to be? And I mean, just so many things to get ready. And then where are you going to live afterwards?

And you got to find a place. All these different things that take, you know, to get ready. And I just had a daughter, you know, my oldest daughter just got married.

And so we had to go through all that. And it's interesting, right when this book was coming out, I had to live this through with my daughter and see the bride, and God had that time too, but to see a bride getting ready for a wedding. And I think the personal preparation too, and wondering what the bridegroom is going to think of you.

Right, there you go. I remember my mother wrote the most beautiful prayer because she had that same insecurity when she married my daddy. And she wrote a beautiful poem about what he would see, you know. So I think most brides have that. Yeah, and we need to extrapolate that married or not male or female.

We need to extrapolate to our own lives. As Christians, are you prepared to meet Jesus? Because it's going to happen. Are you ready? Is it just going to be like, oh yeah, okay.

Or should you really lean that in, lean into that? I'm here. I've been waiting on a war since I was young. Since I was a little boy. Welcome back.

It's Steve Noble the Steve Noble Show. Are you a believer? If you're a believer, you're in a war. Just remember that, okay?

That's why I picked that song. I've been waiting for a war since I was young, and I'm in one. You're in one if you're a Christian, you're in a war, you have an enemy.

He hates you. And unlike a lot of us, And we're here with Anne Graham Lots and Rachel Ruth Lots right talking about their new book preparing to meet Jesus Which is a 21-day challenge to move from salvation. You're saved you're in. Okay, praise the Lord to transformation. Where do you go next? The devil we were talking about intensity over the break that the devil is intense because he knows his days are short and Limited so he's like a cornered animal right and and so he's got intensity because he knows his time is limited So he's gonna do whatever he can with the time that he has. Isn't that interesting? Shouldn't we live like that? I mean, isn't that kind of the point of as we discuss preparing to meet Jesus that your time is limited here on earth And that's you were talking about that and that you want to be able to not just kind of skate into heaven You want to be able to boldly walk into heaven and I think when that moment comes which is what we're trying to get across in this book when you have that first look and You see Jesus for the first time and you see him looking back at you You you want it to be You just don't want to have regrets, you know And so in order not to have regret and we'll all have some but in order to not have regrets then you from right now To today you need to start living your life for that moment You know just seeing him and and plus Paul talks about you know giving him the debt of love that we owe and when you Understand as you just described over the break the fact that he loves us unconditionally and he loves us In fact, one of the phrases that I've been meditating on in the last week where he loves us from everlasting to everlasting and everlasting is like before there was ever time or space or Anything was he was there and he loved us then and to everlasting that's when you know the new heaven and new earth come down and beyond that and he turned to he loves us from Everlasting to everlasting and when you see who he is and what he has done for us and his love for us It compels you and there's something very compelling when somebody really loves you and is willing to lay themselves down for you you know, if you're in a marriage then I feel like you can understand that somewhat if you have a Spouse, of course, Danny lots head.

Yes work. He was a piece of work. Yes Yeah, well said but he's still and I remember when I first fell in love with him, you know and just it being so amazed At his love for me the unconditional love and it and it provoked a love in me for him So good. Yeah so so the love of the Lord Jesus for us the love of the God the Father that sent the Servant the Holy Spirit to look for us to choose us as a bride for his son that should compel us Yeah to love him and our love right truth. Can she go ahead and describe I've got your little list there But the last chapter so when sure It's your book color ever you want Well, you have to tell the story I guess because the servant starts to describe to Rebecca who Isaac is And it's a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit Once we receive him and we commit ourselves to live for Jesus and to go be the bride so to speak then That's one of the ones I picked because I love the word beloved.

Yeah, I love it. Go ahead Rachel. She just threw you under the bus Just skipping past everything when Rebecca finally chooses to go, you know with the servant and doesn't know It doesn't know who Isaac is or anything, but she's choosing to follow what God obviously she sees what God's doing And if I can just interject when the servant chose her but then he said well you go with this man So she had to choose also. Yeah, so God the Father chooses us, but we also yeah. Yeah, you're in that mix And so she's they're traveling on the camels like 450 miles and you know during that time She would have said so tell me what Isaac is like.

What does he look like? What is he talk like who are his friends and what are the things that he's done and tell me about his father Abraham and and so, you know, the servant just was so overjoyed to tell her in and you can imagine the conversations that they had or passing Some of the places they passed in order to get to where they lived He would have said, you know This is what happened in this place and this is what happened in this place and God This is what God is doing through this family and you get to join it set up by the time she got there She probably already had fallen in love with him before she even saw him face to face so it's the same with us that when we have the Holy Spirit inside of us and When we've prayed to receive Christ to put our faith that Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins And we're asking him to come in and forgive us and to live inside of us to give us eternity one day Then you know the race starts you have this relationship with him but then the Holy Spirit teaches you through his word what Jesus is like and who his character is and why he's Compassion he's kind and he's loving and he corrects us But he does it gently all these things and we just grow and grow and grow in our love for him So that one day when we see him face to face. I know you Jesus. I love you You know Jesus we say love on his face and we know we're beloved and instead of thinking Oh Jesus doesn't care about me and he's pointing fingers at me and he's upset with me Not at all in the thing that is gonna be sad Although we won't be sad in heaven But when when that moment comes if we had thought that all that time and thought Jesus doesn't care about me. Why would I waste I'm gonna know him I'm my parents don't like me my friend Sam this and that and and then we haven't developed that relationship But then we see the love on his face. Oh, we're gonna wish and that'll be so difficult for so many people I really appreciated that you included this in the chapter because not everybody that they can't even think in those terms of being loved like That being that being the bridegroom that's being presented being the bride and that's I appreciate this when you wrote this Have you two been on a long difficult journey referencing Rebecca? Perhaps you're single but are longing for and dreaming of love Maybe you're divorced experiencing the deep hurt of rejection bitter toward love and all of its broken promises Are you a widow grieving the loss of your beloved and despair over being separated from your sweet companion?

Or maybe you're a broken-hearted in a loveless marriage daily feeling the pain of being unloved Perhaps the ache in your heart isn't related to your marital status Maybe it's your struggle because your parents never told you they love you or you struggle with a child who's rejected you with whom you? Have lost contact over the church that has removed you from membership on and on and on it goes Whatever journey you will find yourself on today dear precious bride of the king of kings. Jesus loves you And I think that's so hard for a lot of people Rachel Ruth To deal with that because they haven't come even anywhere close to being beloved like that But yet that's the deal And I think it's the challenge to that stop looking at people who will fail you and Look at Jesus through the pages of your Bible and and he will come alive You'll see who he is not who people say they represent him I mean cuz they always fail you, you know, but just go to your Bible and see who Jesus is Which when she finally got to Can't remember there in Hebron But anyway, and she met Isaac for the first time and it said after I'm sure the wedding ceremony She describes that beautifully but that he took her into his mother's tent and it says specifically Isaac loved her So it wasn't just an arranged marriage, you know, he loved her and and that's what we're talking about. It's a love relationship It's being saved from our sin and we're going to heaven when we die And in the meantime, we're we're on a journey and the journey is can be difficult And there are all sorts of curveballs that get thrown our way and life is hard But the joy is that we're during the Holy Spirit is within us. We're journeying towards our bridegroom We're getting to know Jesus in a wonderful way.

And so that's that makes the journey worth Taking yeah. Yeah such a great point talking to Anne Graham Lots and her daughter Rachel Ruth Lots Right preparing to meet Jesus a 21-day challenge to move from salvation to transformation This is all about Rebecca's experience with Abraham sending his servant to find the right bride for his son I love this part and this is day six the word kind The servant hurried to meet her and said please give me a little water from your jar drink my lord She said and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink I don't I don't encounter kindness much at all I mean not even in the body because it's such an aggressive environment It's such an aggressive time But it was the kindness of God that leads people to repentance Talk about the kindness that that Rebecca exhibited here because I think we all need to work on this one Well, I think it is it's so sweet because Rebecca like a lot of us could have You know in a situation like that said well, there's the water over there Get up your camel is right down the street I've got to go back and make dinner and you know how heavy this thing is and could have made all these excuses and just Kind of in and maybe even if she had put him to the well, that would have been okay like most people would have been like well, I was being nice because I told him where to get the water but but instead she without even hesitating took her well her jar down and gave him water to drink and and I think that kindness goes such a long way and she would have no idea that this guy was the servant of Abraham looking for a bride for basically a prince and In just her kindness was being watched. It was You know everybody he was seeing how kind she was in the same goes for us that We don't know who's watching us We don't know who who's around but just the simple act of kindness can change somebody's day change somebody's life Open the opportunity to share the gospel in and you're right. You don't see kindness anymore it's people are aggravated and mean at the grocery store and Everywhere everywhere you go.

It's just it's really something else. So to be kind you will stand out. Oh Totally either that that's like, you know, Jesus said they'll love you They'll know your mind by the way, you love one another and I struggle with the question How many people would describe me as loving? Right, thank you for the laughter Right How would they just how would he's bold he's loud.

He's courageous But the number one thing should be loving Right What's that? You're throwing me a bone There you go, right from the right from Anne Graham lots his mouth Steve Noble had a loving moment Just remember that it does happen every once in a while We're here at the end Graham Lots Rachel Ruth lots right talking about preparing to meet Jesus. We'll be right back Welcome back at Steve Noble the Steve Noble show preparing to meet Jesus.

What a great concept. What a great question What a great challenge for all of us a 21-day challenge to move from salvation to transformation. Will you? Kind of slink into heaven like it through the back door I want to make sure nobody notices you because you have all kinds of regrets and you didn't really Fulfill what the Lord had called you to do. You just kind of you just kind of mailed it in Let's just be honest. You just kind of mailed it in you don't even know what your spiritual gifting is You go to church you pray some you thank God for the food you eat Chick-fil-a a lot And and so, you know, you're a good Christian, right? Mm-hmm I think we settle for a lot less than what the Lord has for us And it's amazing what you can get used to so I think this is a great challenge for all of us Are we prepared to meet Jesus whether it's when he comes back or when he takes you off this planet and Graham lots is here With her daughter Rachel Ruth lots, right?

Thank you ladies for being here so much. It's a great blessing You're welcome, okay So this one day to Rachel Ruth Faithful in the day today opens this way before he had finished praying Rebecca came out with her jar on her shoulder She's just having a regular day Genesis 24 15. Have you ever envisioned that glorious day when Jesus will appear now? You're just causing trouble Rachel Ruth Have you wondered about what he will find you doing or possibly catch you doing then? I jump over a couple of pages because I met your Your dad's youngest brother uncle Denton my dad's youngest brother uncle Denton told me once that so much of the Christian walk is just being Faithful in the everyday ho-hum and God can meet you in that daily ho-hum. Not just at the rapture. So I think At least for me I tend to sometimes reduce my Christian experience Rachel Ruth To all these big highlight things like like big events that I've been involved in being on the radio how it goes when I'm teaching students But we're pretty much ambassadors 24-7 and and I think we we struggle to really see the importance Of our walk with the Lord in the mundane like with students today I'm like how many do you guys have jobs and several of them had jobs and these are home schoolers So, of course two or three of them worked at Chick-fil-a I'm like, do you think God gives a rip about how you load up the Chick-fil-a bag? Like where did the fall for fries go?

Where does the sandwich go? Do you think he cares about that and they're like no and I said you're wrong So talk about that just that faithfulness and the day-to-day ho-hum that I think most of us don't really look at as a spiritual Opportunity. Yeah. Well, it really is in the setup in the story is Rebecca You know the servant sitting there watching because he had just prayed Lord show me which one Is the one that you have for Isaac and let her give me when I asked for water She'll give me water and then also water the camels and so he's just sitting there watching and he sees a girl walk out a beautiful girl and she's going towards the well and She went to get water fill it up And that's how he approached her because he saw her going to the well doing her day-to-day chores And and it just struck me how important it is to be faithful in the day-to-day if she had just you know Not done her chores that day gone and sat and talked to her friends or took a nap she wouldn't have been out there when the servant was watching and looking for a bride for Isaac and and how those Small little tasks during the day are actually so important and and God has a great plan in that too And he's watching he the Holy Spirit sees when we go the extra mile, you know putting the dishes away or Doing the laundry or just stuff that nobody likes to do.

Yeah claim in the bathroom. I wrote it and but it's so important that even in those things that we bring God glory that we do it with a joyful heart that we're not Doing it out of resentment or just I don't want to do this But but we can actually do it with joy knowing that the Holy Spirit is watching us and he sees what we're doing and God Has a wonderful He has a way to bless us for that and and he's watching to see what we're doing and and sure enough Rebecca was picked because she was faithful in the day-to-day and he saw that character right off and And an incredible blessing came into our life. I mean she became the bride of Isaac. So So and we don't do it for a reward But but there are blessings that come when we are faithful in that day-to-day And I think one of the blessings in Scripture you can encounter God just like Servant spotted her when she was doing the day-to-day and you think of Moses who is keeping the sheep father-in-law sheep when he saw the burning bush you think of Gideon who was threshing the wheat and the wine press when the Angel of the Lord just was sitting there under the tree watching him, you know and you think of David who was keeping the sheep When he was called to say, you know Samuel wants to see you and and so just my mother had a sign over the kitchen sink that said divine service will be conducted here three times daily So I put that over my kitchen sink and then over my stove is I do the things Gladly, you know that I serve the Lord's gladness. And so so I think the way we do it the Lord Honors that and it's not just for a reward to come right but it's in the in the moment It can be so sweet. Think of Jesus in the carpenter shop, you know for 30 years in Nazareth taking orders from human people who are just yeah Probably not the greatest customers all the time That's exactly right and his humility that he would go from heaven's throne to that, you know But but he learned obedience Hebrew says through the things that he suffered and I think taking orders from you know People who are less than yeah would be a kind of a suffering Yeah I would think so And you mentioned that when we were talking about kindness about the person you encountered at the store that had carpal tunnel and then I will Let me bag the groceries for you you go that that was an incredibly meaningful moment from Christ's perspective because what do you do the least of these you do also to me everything starts to matter That's why I was students. I'm like How many of you think God likes the way you cut the grass?

What are you talking about I'm telling you because God has got of order not disorder God likes lines like I like line So when I cut the grass I'm like I'm bringing order to disorder and I'm doing something with what he created and I think that matters I didn't talk to anybody. I didn't share the gospel with anybody but what I did and that ordinary thing I could I could Up as a as an offering it is so I just did this to the glory of God Yeah Everything everything that we do Throughout our days God cares about he cares about what we're involved in what's on our hearts, you know How hard we've just come from a long day of work and then we've got to come home and do these things but he sees us as choosing to do it joyfully instead of you know, just mad and and He's involved in that. He cares about a football game he cares about all that all these other things that people think he doesn't care about and he does because it involves our lives and And and so like the football game your husband's going to tonight when he should be taking out to dinner And you can quote me on that Well, one of the challenges here in The Book preparing to meet Jesus Operates under the assumption that you're gonna meet Jesus, but not everybody's gonna meet him that way Well one way or the other right every knee will bow every tongue will confess and you meet him as Savior or you meet him As judge, that's right. So we want to meet him as Bridegroom a savior but but the neat thing in this book right through the very first chapter Steve Right you don't have to explain it But Abraham when he gave the instructions to a servant to go find a bride for Isaac and he said, you know Don't don't marry somebody from the Canaanites because they're so godless But I want you to go back to where my family is and select a young woman from my family And that's the very first characteristic of the bride that the God the Father is looking for For a son has to be a family member in the family And that means that at some point you had to have come to the cross by faith told God You're sorry for all the wrong things that you've done ask him to cleanse you with the blood of Jesus believe Jesus died for you if nobody else Would have benefited you needed a Savior and so you claim Jesus personally as your Savior and then you believe that he? Rose up from the dead to give you eternal life and you receive the eternal life and eternal life Interesting is not just heaven when you die but Jesus said in John 17 is that we would know God and that word know is the word that describes an Intimate relationship between husband and wife when Adam knew Eve she had a son and so it's it's an intimate love relationship He's talking about that's eternal life and you receive that and then you open up your heart invite Jesus to come in He comes in in the person of his Holy Spirit and then you surrender your life and and just tell the world I'll follow you from this day forward all the way to heaven and and it's an entire package so to speak You know from from the time you confess your sin claim Jesus as your Savior receive the eternal life He offers Open up your heart invite him in surrender as Lord and then follow him step by step day by day all the way to heaven and that's That's being a family member. Yeah, you know and so God the Father is looking for a family member to be the bride of his own and and they'll be the bride is Collective Paul described it in Ephesians 5 as being the body of Christ being the church actually not being the first Baptist Church or you know in the shepherds church or wherever it's it's People who have individually placed their faith in Jesus you part of the body I'm part of the body right through this part and all that makes up the bride, right? So it's a glorious bride that one day You know will be presented to the Son of God without spot or wrinkle or blemish or any such thing How often do you all meet people that would self-identify as Christians, but there's probably a good chance that they're not We're still at about 68 69 percent of Americans will self-identify No, I'm happy to throw a yellow flag I'm not gonna throw a red flag because I don't know what the intent in the heart of the human that I'm talking to But even the demons believe in shutter, that's right So I like my kids are scared to death to go on uber rides with me Because I'm always gonna talk to the uber driver and then most of them especially if you're in DC are from other countries So I'm always like well, where are you from?

Well, what's the spiritual climate like there? And so what are you Muslim? Are you a Christian? I'm a Christian. Can I ask you an ask awkward question?

Sure. Go ahead What are they gonna do to kick me out? I'd say why do you think you're a Christian? And now they start going down the road of all these things that your average demon believes and I'm like, they're not there yet Until they get to the part You just share that you have to confess and you have to receive that has to be personal He's got to be in the family If you want to meet Jesus in a way where you're the bride, yeah, if you don't it takes away the fear. Yes So to be prepared to meet him to do the most that you can the best that you can Amen last word of encouragement Rachel Ruth goes to you 20 seconds That's right and this book will really help you first of all get your mind moving in that direction But looking at the life of Rebecca and then measuring that we need to measure ourselves and see how we're doing You want to be able to boldly walk into his presence not kind of slither in?

By his grace preparing to meet Jesus a 21-day challenge to move from salvation to transformation and Rachel Ruth. God bless you Thank you so much for coming in. Thank you. You're welcome. This is Steve noble on the Steve noble show. God willing I'll talk to you again real soon. And like my dad always used to say ever for Another program powered by the truth Network