Section 106

4 And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night—

 5 Therefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief.

I want to highlight the phrase “gird up your loins.”  It comes from the ancient practice of a person pulling up their tunic and tying it in a way that allows the person much greater freedom of movement.  It means “prepare yourself for a difficult battle ahead,” or “get ready; there is challenging work for you to do.”  This call to readiness by the Lord is to all of us.  He is coming again to the earth to rule and reign. He warns us of his coming not to scare us into action.  Instead, he is giving us a challenge to prepare our hearts. He wants us to “be the children of the light.” Otherwise, his coming will be dreadful because we have ignored his warnings and are not ready to meet him.

Section105

39 And lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation of peace unto the ends of the earth;

40 And make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good.

41 Therefore, be faithful; and behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end. Even so. Amen.

We are all guilty of pride.  Specifically, we are prone to enmity, that is, feelings of hate towards those who mistreat us, are different in their opinions from us, or criticize us. Jesus taught that it is easy to love those who love us.  Loving our enemies is so much more difficult.  Yet, he wants us to strive to have charity—the pure love of Christ for all of God’s children.