There is work to be done!

Leviticus 14; Psalm 17; Proverbs 28; 2 Thessalonians 2

It is not too difficult these days to imagine missing a great event — all of them have been postponed or cancelled! The media tries to fill airtime with reruns but sports fans are not fooled into thinking they missed the playoffs or anything like that. These events are not going to happen in real time.

The church at Thessalonica thought they missed the Second Coming of Christ. That is far more difficult to imagine. They had been taught the signs to look for and that they would see Jesus. I have difficulty imagining what made them think they missed this event, far greater than final games, playoffs, or anything else on the calendar. Maybe part of it was that they didn’t know when it would happen (no one knows) and someone or something gave them the idea that they had missed it. At the same time, they were being persecuted. I can imagine the stress of that could confuse this and other issues. They were not thinking straight.

Paul told them not to be anxious. Three things needed to happen first: a general apostasy, the man of lawlessness would be revealed, and the restraint against lawlessness would be removed. This is not necessarily in chronological order but none of the three had happened so they need not be upset. Instead, they needed to focus on living out their faith.

In past years, some have had firm convictions that Jesus is coming soon. Professing Christians have been known to sell their possessions, quit their jobs, and ‘sit on the roof’ waiting for Him to show up. While that makes me laugh, I’m now beginning to understand how the pressures of life can lead to rash decisions.

Covid-19 has terrified many people. Perhaps that reaction is too extreme, particularly for Christians. We are told that God is not the author of fear and the words “Fear not” appear many times in Scripture. God holds our lives in His hands. It is up to Him when and how He takes us home.

On the other hand, many people have taken this virus and the warnings from the medical world too lightly. In many cases, this attitude has contributed to the rapid spread because it is unwittingly carried by the “no worries” people to those more vulnerable.

There is a correlation between the return of Christ and this pandemic. The pandemic may or may not be signaling the return of Jesus, but it is telling the world to prepare for death. A small percent will die of this virus, but all will eventually die. I might not get sick, but whether I do or don’t, eventually I will see Jesus face to face, whether it is at His visible return to earth, or at that day when He ushers me into eternity. Either way, I need to live with all those options in mind.

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:13–17)

APPLY: Jesus could come today but if not, I’m thankful to be His child . I need to stand firm in what He has taught me, seeking His comfort and good hope given through grace. I’m also to be alert to do good and speak well, glorifying Jesus with all my heart. God is not giving me anything more than this advice — to be ready and stay off the roof because there is work to be done!

 Today is Good Friday. Churches are shut down but we didn't miss it. Our congregation and many others were able to tune in to a live-stream time of worship. It was wonderful. Even though we could not see the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ, His presence was very real with us as we thought about His sacrifice to save us from our sin. In His presence is fullness of joy. Thank You, Jesus.