Is He here yet?

Children are noted for their impatience on a trip by continually asking, “Are we there yet?” In their minds, time has two characteristics: now and forever!

Some Christians have the same attitude toward the return of Christ. Every bad news story brings the hope that this signals His coming. We are continually looking for signs and indications. Scripture is searched, predictions are made, even though Jesus said no man knows the day or the hour.

Peter was close to Jesus. He had ideas about the Second Coming. First, he predicted the scoffers who mocked that it would never happen, He said to his readers:

You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:2–4)

There are Christians that may not scoff but also desire that all things stay the same. Thoughts of the end of life here as we know it makes people uncomfortable. I’ve felt concern too, not wanting Jesus to come until He saves those who I pray for and thousands of others that have no faith and no hope for eternal life with Him.

Peter may have been thinking that children think of time as now/forever as he continued to explain the end to his readers. The scoffers need to realize that eternity is not about time. While the Bible gives no explicit explanation, it seems that God lives in the realm where everything is NOW. That is, in His mind, there is no beginning or end, no clocks, no deadlines. He is also not interested in a calendar but in the hearts of men and women. If He seems slow to return in our minds, it is only because He is patient with those who do not yet believe:

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:8–10)

That fits with my heart too. Even though the end of evil and hardship appeals to me, I also want all to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. I don’t want anyone to forever be separated from God.

Peter gives an application for thinking about the Second Coming and the end of this life as we know it. He says:

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:11–13)

His words are simple. Be a holy, godly person who waits patiently for Jesus to come and for the promise of a renewed creation. Evil will be removed and those who choose evil will be separated from God’s presence. All who trust Jesus will be with Him. This is not a popular topic and this application seems too vague. How do I live a holy life? What does it mean to be godly today?

For me, the answers are to seek the Lord in study and prayer, to obey what I know, and to rely on His grace and Holy Spirit to do it. This is not a list of rules nor laying out a plan. I can plan, but if interrupted, must listen for His direction. He will let me know what calls to answer, what chores to do, who to contact, and when I am procrastinating. In other words, the application is about knowing and being guided by the voice of Jesus.

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Lord, help me hear You today. You know how my head can be filled with ideas and plans. May You guide me, and if today turns out to be ‘ordinary’ then I know You will have a few unexpected assignments thrown into my to-do list. That is fine with me. Just help me listen and willing to do all that You ask and at the same time rejoice in Your promise to return, knowing it will be exactly at the right time.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- the certain promise of Jesus to come again.

- the ability to plan and His willingness to be interrupted.

- today’s major interruption was important.

- making it through my chore list anyway.

- tilapia in lemon-flavored olive oil, yum.

- fresh snow.

God is still God

1 Chronicles 23:1–23:32; 2 Timothy 3:1–9; Psalm 88

When David was old, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. Then he did something that could be a great example to the kingdom of God today. He made some changes . . .  

First, David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. Then David said, “Twenty-four thousand of these shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise” as he organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi. (1 Chronicles 23:2–6)

He explained later, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” (1 Chronicles 23:25–26) Their situation had changed, so they didn’t need to do things they way they always did them.

My first thought went to those congregations who become stuck in habits that are no longer effective, but this applies to me also. Since graduation a couple weeks ago, I’m no longer studying several hours a day. My routine must change. I don’t want to go back to pre-study days because what God has taught me needs to be put into practice. I’ve thought of several things, and am now in the process of figuring out what to do next.

And times have changed. Since the NT was written, putting the history of Christianity on a popularity graph would reveal plenty of ups and downs. Currently, depending on what part of the world is in view, it could be at either end of the spectrum. Right now, Christian is not popular in my culture. This was predicted . . .

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1–7)

Not too many decades ago, most people knew the Gospel and many considered that the Bible is the Word of God even if they had not put their faith in Christ. This has changed. Greater numbers consider the Bible obsolete and for many, Jesus is only a swear word. This has an impact on how they hear what Christians have to say and how they view what Christians do.

Complicating that is the sense of God abandoning His people. We pray and see no answers. We struggle against the enemy and feel beaten. We talk to people about faith and at best get blank stares. Yet I’m encouraged by those ‘Psalms of lament’ that express my feelings, such as this one. It begins with these sad words . . . 

“O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.” (Psalm 88:1–5)

Today’s devotional writer offers comforting thoughts for those days when I feel that God is far away. He says if God was willing to abandon His only Son on a cross to redeem me, then He is certainly trustworthy. He will not forsake me. I also know He will help me as I consider changes and adapt to new things. Regardless of what goes on I our world, God is still God. Amen!

To Live is Christ — knowing who controls the rain

In my part of the world, weather patterns are becoming extreme. Last year, our area didn’t have any serious rain until June. This spring, trees were dying. Although rainfalls are normal, the water table is still low. South of us, it rained so much this week that bridges and roads washed away. Many homes have been destroyed. The Trans-Canada highway was flooded and closed. Recently seeded fields are covered in water, offering farmers little hope for any crops or income this year.

World weather isn’t much better. In some places there has been snow when it should have been summer, and heat waves when it should have been winter. I have to wonder if the One who controls the weather is trying to make a point, trying to wake up a spiritually sleepy population to the danger of forgetting Him?

My devotional reading uses a verse from a passage about what is called the “last days” or the period between the first coming of Jesus and the second. It describes those who are spiritually dense to the plan of God for the world and its people.

. . . Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:3–10)

As I read this, I am aware of scoffers, but have to say one good thing about them — at least they are aware that Jesus did promise He would return. They might make fun of it and choose not to change their lives because of it, but they do know the promise. What burdens me are the millions that are totally oblivious to spiritual things and to the plan of God. They live out their lives in ignorance of sin and their need to repent and be forgiven. So many do not know that Jesus Christ is a real person who came from God to earth so we could have eternal life.

Fewer still realize He is coming back, but even those who believe cannot predict when Jesus will return. Christians have a general idea because the Bible reveals some of what will happen, but we cannot predict the day or the hour and when we talk about it, scoffers laugh. They don’t see the changes in the world, or if they do, they think God is not involved. They overlook the fact of creation and decide that the world just happened. Order came from chaos, something came from nothing, and there is no master plan, no designer of all the complications of our universe.

For many also, the weather patterns are caused by human beings making carbon footprints. They forget that weather has been happening for a long time, far longer than the discovery and use of oil and gas. It seems to me that it requires a huge ego to think that people cause weather changes.

Yet Bible passage hints how that supposition can happen. The darkness and ignorance concerning God’s plan for the world are choices made because of sin. Sin, defined as doing our own thing apart from God, says that “I will. . . .” and does not want anything to do with God or even admit that He is out there. For sinners, this means denying creation and the power of God and denies or mocks the return of Christ.

For Christians, or at least for me, this scoffing produces conflicting desires. On one hand I want God to open their eyes, show them the truth, and make them aware of their need for forgiveness. I want to see the scoffers saved and glorifying God.

On the other hand I want God to vindicate Himself and show them how foolish they are. I want Jesus to come back and deal with the nonsense of sin and the resistance of sinners. The Bible says that when He does, “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord” and I want to be able to say “I told you so.”

But God is not like me. He is patient. He could say the word and wake everyone up, but He waits. He wants people to know the truth and repent from their sin. He does not want anyone to perish.

As I wait and watch too, I’m reminded of the power of God on the weather channel. I can see His glory in the pale sunrise as well as the downpour. I see His grace in the sunshine and know His fury in the wind. I marvel with the psalmist who wrote,

He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. . . . He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. (Psalm 147:8, 16–18)

Yesterday’s news showed one farmer whose land was under water. He was angry and blaming the government for this flood! How incredible! Who is man? We think we are so powerful, but our strength is made of straw. While our knowledge increases and technology becomes more intricate and even amazing, not one of us can gather the wind in our fist or turn the breezes from the east to the west, or send showers on one field and not another.

All this is to remind us that God is God — and we are puny, sinful people in need of His grace.