Love to hear from and know who is listening
I believe with all my heart that we are living the last days. You have to agree that the world is certainly closer, at least by 2,000 years to the end of time, then it was when Jesus and the new testament writers first spoke of the rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The rapture of the church and the return Jesus Christ could happen anytime, even before I conclude this devotional. All that being said, Even if Jesus doesn't return for another 2,000 years, you and I are certainly living in our last days. Think about this: in 30 or 40 years many of you listening to this devotional could have died. All you have to do is, do the math. For example if I was to live to say 86, far beyond the normal life span of 70 plus years, all I must do is subtract my present age 56 and that means I only have 30 years of life left. What if my remaining years past by me as quickly as my first 50 plus years have. I remember when I was a teen thinking that 50 years old was ancient and that it seemed like it was an eternity away and yet here I am.
Romans 13: 11-12 NIV And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
So how should we as Christians live in light of the fact that every moment we are closer to end of time. Just spend one evening watching the news and you will certainly find an abundance of things to be fearful of. There is inflation, political turmoil, war and rumors of war and let us not forget the ongoing pandemic. But instead of becoming overwhelmed by the world Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58 said I want you to stand firm:
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
As Christians we must not let ourselves be overwhelmed by all the chaos of the world, because the bible says we have a “Blessed Hope.” Titus 2:13 says, We are to be, “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” No matter how turbulent the world may become we can be certain that one day Christ will delivery us and that should bring us hope! Let me use this illustration to further explain my point. I have a friend, Bruce Williams, who truly despises the cold weather. The frigid temperatures coupled with the lack of sunshine makes him dread the winter season. As Bruce is such a good friend of mine I want to encourage him, so I strike a deal with him. I tell him that as soon as the temperatures reaches freezing and stays there for 3 days in a row I will pay for him to take a 2 week vacation to the sunny beaches of Hawaii. So how do you think his attitude towards the weather might change? I bet he would be checking the weather on his cell phone many times a day. He might even find himself cursing the sun every time it appeared from behind the clouds. His new hatred of the heat wouldn't be because a sudden affection of the cold weather. Bruce still despises snow, ice and gray skies, but now he understands that the sooner the temperatures drops to freezing for 3 days in a row, the closer he will be to the deliverance of the sunny beaches of Hawaii! The signs of the end times are like a forecast for a winter storm. The closer we get to the end days the more intense and frequent the signs become. When you see world events begin to intensify, don't get discouraged know in fact that your day of deliverance is near. The “Bless
