Storm Clouds
Yesterday was one of those days, rain interspersed with torrential downpours. We had brief moments when the sky wasn’t opening up on us, but they were few and far between. I snapped this view of the sky on my way to pick Kathy up from work.
Life comes with all kinds of storms, both literal and metaphorical. Turn on the news, read a newspaper (yes, they still exist), check on social media, listen to people talk. There are storms. Times are hard. There are wars and rumors of wars, diseases rage, crime happens, evil walks on the earth.
That truth isn’t news, and it certainly shouldn’t be a surprise.
Jesus said,
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Matthew 24:3-8 ESV
In the same discourse, he went on to say:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31 ESV
Social media is filled with people running around screaming “the end is near.” They are correct, of course; Jesus return is imminent – that is, it will happen suddenly. Attempting to guess the time and date is a futile exercise. Jesus told us that (Matthew 24:36 ESV)
So what do we do in these dark, evil times?
We don’t need to panic or fret. There is no point in speculating. We live our lives as Christ commanded us. We take comfort in His promises and the truth that God’s timing is always perfect.
Will we see His return in our lifetime? Quite possibly, but then again, quite possibly not. Let’s live our lives as if His return is just around the corner and show the world what peace and love look like.
Be blessed
Kevin
SUMMARY
Wars, rumors of wars, and storms of every kind are exactly what Jesus told us to expect. So let’s skip the panic and live as if His return is just around the corner.
TAKEAWAY
Hard times shouldn’t catch us off guard. Jesus told us there would be wars and rumors of wars, and He told us not to be alarmed.
Trying to pin down the date of Christ’s return gets us nowhere. His return will come suddenly, and speculating doesn’t change that.
While we wait, we live as Christ commanded. We take comfort in His promises, trust God’s perfect timing, and show the world what peace and love look like.