Date: June 27, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 8
Beloved: grace and peace be yours in abundance from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour. Welcome to another week of this year. I pray that you will be strengthened to remain focused now and always in your walk with the Lord and in your service in His kingdom, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we begin this new week, let me remind you that the Lord Jesus will certainly return for all His saints, as He has promised. And if you are one of them, you should keep this in mind and look forward to it. But when exactly will He return for us? We are not told. But we are told this:
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”” Mark 13:33-37NIV)
Did you see that? The Lord clearly tells us here that nobody, not even Him, knows the day or hour He will return to take us to be with Him forever and establish a new order of things. Only God knows these things. Our own duty, then, is to look forward to this day and make ourselves ready for it. So, the question for us is, “Are we looking forward to the day of the Lord and making ourselves ready for it or are we acting as though nothing is at stake at all?”
As the Lord points out in that bible text, His return will be like that of a man who gives his servants different tasks to handle for him before he travels. Seeing, then, that this man could return anytime, it will only be wise for those servants of his to get busy with the tasks he has given them and keep watch. Otherwise, when he comes, he may not find them where they are supposed to be. And that would spell nothing but disgrace and trouble for them.
In like manner, since our Lord Jesus could return anytime, it will only be wise of us to get busy with the life He wants us to live and the works He wants us to do. What kind of life, then, does He want us to live? It is a life of holiness and godliness. And what sort of works does He want us to do? Good works! He wants us to be busy doing things that will bless those in our world, make life better for them and also draw them close to God. (Cf. Eph 2:10; 2Pet 3:11-14)
But are we busy living holy and godly lives where we are? And are we busy using all that God has given to us to do works that will make the world a better place for us all and to make men want to have God in their lives? What exactly are we busy doing now? If we are not busy living as He wants us to live, then, we are sleeping and not waiting for Him. Yes, what we are doing may be important to us and even cherished by men. But if it is not consistent with the life He wants us to live and the things He wants us to do, it is as good as nothing to Him.
Now remember that He warns us not to allow Him to come back and find us sleeping. That is because anyone that He finds sleeping is not waiting for Him but doing his own thing. That means that person does not really believe in Him and so cannot reign with Him. Those who truly believe in Him will keep watch and wait for Him instead of sleeping. And they are the ones that will reign eternally with Him and also hear these sweet words from His mouth: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share in your master’s happiness!” If you, then, want to be among them, don’t let Him return and find you sleeping.
Do have a splendid week.
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