Friend, I really wanted to share something lighthearted and uplifting to get you started on a good week. It is Monday, after all. I wanted to give you something that made it seem like time is on our side and we’ve got lots of days ahead. But, friend, the coming of the Lord is nigh.
But, friend, I’m going to be just straight up honest here for a second. My heart has been so heavy after hearing and watching the news these past few weeks.
There was the massacre in Las Vegas. Then Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and now Nate that left many dead in their paths and caused total destruction in many of the places those storms hit. Not to mention that there were the multiple earthquakes in Mexico that killed several people. There has been horrible flooding in parts of Asia that’s left thousands dead. There have been volcanoes threatening to erupt. Not to mention all of the news going on politically in the world.
Friend, just thinking about the death and the destruction is almost too much for my heart to bear. Because I’m not just thinking about the loss of life, but also thinking about salvation, too.
And when you start to think about salvation, you have to wonder, did they know about the Savior? Did they know that Jesus loved them enough to die for their sins? Did they know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? Was repentance preached to them? Did they accept Jesus into their hearts?
Was there enough time?
Today is the day of salvation
Friend, I absolutely do not want to sound like a broken record or be all doom and gloom on this lovely Monday. But, the end and Jesus’ return is a lot closer than we realize. While we truly do not know how much time is left for us on this earth (I absolutely mean, as individuals in our own lives and collectively as a world), most of the signs are pointing to time running out.
It will do us good to be ready for the coming the Lord.
Consider Luke 12:37-39. Especially verse 39.
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them, so blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Luke 12-37-39.
The Bible tells us very clearly that Jesus’ return will be like a thief in the night and no one truly knows the day nor the hour of when that will be. Friend, it pays to be ready at all times.
The coming of the Lord is nigh
Verse 39 puts everything into perspective. Imagine being a homeowner, coming home to find a note tapped to your door that said, “Dear, Susan. I’m planning on robbing your house around 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. Going to take all that you have and sell it on the Black Market. Just being a good person and warning you ahead of time. Prepare yourself to be shocked that all your stuff is missing. Signed- The Robber.”
It’s too bad thieves don’t operate that way, right? If they did, we’d all be waiting at the door with the police ready to stop a heist. And we’d be warning all of our neighbors that a thief is going to be in the area and to be on the lookout, too. No one wants to lose something, especially when it could be prevented.
Be ready
Friend, you don’t have to miss out on salvation or lose your soul to sin, either. (If you are reading this and do not know Christ as your Savior, you can repent and come to know Him as your personal Savior.) And while we truly don’t know when our time is up, we do know that eventually we will all meet Jesus face to face and must be ready for when that day comes.
We must be like those servants in the second and third watch. We must watch and wait for Christ’s return and we must work to spread the message of the Gospel while we have the time to do so. We absolutely cannot afford to let out lights go dim in this dark and fallen world.
Not when there are so many souls at stake.
Shine bright, friend.
Thoughts?