The emphasis in many places is on the Church being caught up to Heaven. But now we understand when the Lord said " I will come and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also," He was not speaking of His historic coming in the clouds of Glory but of His coming to an individual in order to bring that person into the very center of God's Person and will; for that is where Christ eternally is.

We might desire a physical catching up to Heaven, as occurred with Elijah. Instead, the catching up is inward as we minimize our animal existence and concentrate on living in Christ at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. This does not mean we neglect our earthly responsibilities. These we absolutely must fulfill. But it does mean our desires are focused each day on what the Spirit is saying.

We must let God interpret the Scriptures, for it is easy to formulate in our mind a false impression of what God is doing at any particular time. We just have to keep walking with Jesus and waiting for Him to direct us. He then will tell us how the Scriptures apply to us right now. Isn't that so?

The Christian churches speak of many things, usually concerning how to gain more members or to evangelize the world. We easily can lose our first love while carrying such burdens. These obligations are frustrating to most of us. We cannot find a way to accomplish them, and so our once-joyous romance with Jesus becomes a grinding at the ecclesiastical mill.

When we finally do break through to the Lord we discover He may not be emphasizing the gaining of more members or evangelizing the world. He may instead be showing us marvels and delighting us with opportunities to draw closer to Himself.

It is well that we are willing to work hard. But the Lord is looking for a bride who will love Him. It is easy to become a religious drudge if we are not careful. We need to eat from the tree of life so we can be free of the anxieties and cares of our sojourn in the wilderness.

The Scriptures are being opened to our understanding. Jesus Christ is ready to move us toward the fullness of redemption. The Holy Spirit is prepared to remove sin from the Kingdom. The Father is searching for those who will put His welfare, and the welfare of others, ahead of their own narrow interests.

This is no time to be so involved in the world that we give our very soul to the American way of materialistic death. We need to hear the Spirit of God each morning as we arise.

"Come away, My love. I am skipping on the mountains of spices. Come skip and play with Me. Let us enjoy the wonderful world the Father has created for us.

"God knows your needs and will help you acquire all that is necessary for you. But be sure you save enough time and strength each day to enrich your soul with the vision of the new world of righteousness that is on the horizon. All your present concerns will one day be gone. But you and I will just be beginning to share the splendors that God has prepared for those who love Him.

"Come away. The time of My appearing is at hand. Those who have prepared themselves will be drawn up to me. Many will be pierced with remorse when they realize they have killed their inner life with that which is worthless.

"For My sake, and your sake, don't let that be true of you!" (from Business as Usual)