August 31, 2013
Luke 12:20-21 — But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
The word yesterday was “straightway”. Today’s word is almost the same — it is “now”. Do it now! Yesterday I talked about the urgency with which some of our role models attacked the challenges of life. Truly, imitation should be a motivating factor but there is another — imminence. There are things that may happen at any time and if they do we will have no more chances to do the right thing.
The first imminent circumstance is our own death. I know it’s not necessarily a cheerful thought but our lifespans are limited. At any moment we, like the rich man in Luke’s Gospel, might find our souls being required of us.
The second imminent circumstance is our judgment. James reminds us in his letter that “the judge standeth before the door”. Jew or Christian, saved or not, death is followed by judgment. There are no exceptions.
The third imminent circumstance is the return of Christ — first to gather his church to him and take it to heaven. In the Revelation He promises the church in Philadelphia “Behold, I come quickly”. Then, as Paul writes, “We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The last imminent circumstance I want to mention is the end of days. Peter tells us “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” A wonderful and terrible warning — and wonderful advice of what to do about it! The Lord Himself confirms the warning in the Revelation, saying to John “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”
There are other prophecies of imminent events. All of them will be fulfilled soon. You can rely on it. But don’t waste your time trying to pick the exact date to put in your calendar. Nobody knows the day or the hour.
So there it is. The end of times, or the rapture, will be soon. Our own death may be sooner. So what are we supposed to do? Don’t waste any time. There are tasks crying out for our attention. We are called to witness, to give, to help, to work, to minister. There is no guarantee that any neglected opportunity will come again.
Do it now!