1/11/2022
Acts 28:31 "Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." ESV
Some believers are currently talking a lot about the End Times. I know people who are just recognizing some of the signs in our world right now, but I also know other people who are preparing for it. People seeing a correlation between world events has happened many times throughout history, though. Of course, it has not happened yet.
I have someone in my life who has challenged me to think about what I would do if this were the End Times and I had to fight for my family and my faith. She and her husband are armed and have supplies on hand to be able to hunker down and try to survive. It is kind of like what we all did in the spring of 2020, when we started stocking up on food and supplies like never before. I actually know several people who would be considered "preppers". In my world, these people all have someone in the family who has served in the military. Certainly, they have seen what hell on earth is like.
When I think about the End Times, I just consider if my faith is strong enough to stand boldly against anyone trying to censor the reading of God's Word or the shuttering of churches. Will I be able to die for the message of the Gospel as that first group of believers and missionaries? Will I be able to withstand torture or imprisonment, like those in the early church?
It is clear that our voices as believers are being silenced by those who cry out that our faith is judgmental and unloving. This, unfortunately, is a very true experience for some people if they have come across a believer who does not lead with love, grace, and mercy. I know from my own experience with God's people, though, that there are so many Christians whose only desire is to love their neighbor and share the precious treasure of redemption and and eternal life though the cross of Calvary.
So, in these uncertain and fragile times in the world, what if that was our only mission? What if everything in our lives were steeped and surrounded by God's word? What if, instead of preparing for what may be coming, we do our best with today? What if our every thought and action honored God in the eyes of the unbeliever? What if our faith was bold and loudly proclaimed but wrapped in love? What if we led lives that showed that we truly believe in the transforming power of yielding to Jesus? What if we started now, then would we be ready for what is to come?
1 comment:
Your words resonate deeply with me. We can prepare for all we want because ultimately our time here ends on earth when God deems it. That could be a cataclysmic event like the end times, or Covid, or in your sleep, or in a car. We should be preparing to meet our Lord and how he will respond to how we lived, how we loved his people, and ultimately SPREAD HIS MESSAGE. The Lord's message was certainly not one of anger or violence, even when he overturned tables in the temple, those circumstances were unique.
With all the uncertainty of each day, I can only live out that day and the next. I chose faith, hope, and love to guide my days. I cannot live in fear of what is to be because ultimately it's out of my hands. And when and IF those times come on my days on earth, I would hope the Lord would help provide and guide me at that point.
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