are you ready?
There is a very large group of Christians who believe that tomorrow, May 21st, is the Rapture: the day in which all Christians will be taken up to heaven and the rest of the world will experience a time of tribulation before the end of the world. These people believe that the Bible tells us that May 21st, 2011, is the exact date for Jesus' return. I looked into the details and... I'm fairly confident I'll still be seeing you all on May 22nd. The Bible doesn't "guarantee it."
But all this drama caused me to stop and think. I heard about the followers of this movement who are quitting their jobs and selling their homes in order to do what God has "called them to do." What? Doesn't that mean that God was calling you to do something before that you weren't doing?
Hearing about these people made me think of us. Personally, I don't believe that May 21st is Judgment Day. But I do believe that we should all be living as if it was.
For the sake of illustration, lets say that you knew for a fact that Judgment Day would be on a certain day not too long from now. Would you start living differently? Probably. I probably would. We would probably give more. We would probably spend less time, if any, on facebook or twitter. We wouldn't spend money on things to make us more comfortable or to make us look better. Can you imagine buying new clothes for yourself just before you knew you'd be leaving earth? No! You'd spend that money to help show people the Truth so that they go with us when He comes!
So, if the above is true for us, are we living like that right now? Jesus could come tomorrow. Or Sunday. Or next year. Or, our lives could simply end unexpectedly in a week, a year, a decade. The point is, should we start living differently when we know the amount of days we have left? No matter how much longer your life will go on from here, it will end. Every moment of your life, you should be ready for that end. And, best of all, you can!
No matter what, if we believe that Jesus has died to redeem us, and if we confess our sin and our need for Him, we will be saved. That's the done deal. But what we do with our lives is up to us. We are the ones who decide whether to use our resources for petty, temporary comforts, or to store up treasure in heaven. Those are the only two options. We can choose to be ready.
Are you ready for the end? Whether it is tonight, tomorrow, or eighty years form now, are you prepared? If not, now is the time to become so. None of us know when the end will be for us as an individually. And its up to us to be ready for it.
I'm in Seattle right now doing some vacationing/touring. And I'm praying that these few days will be a mission field because I do not want to stand before God and tell Him that I walked past hundreds of people all day every day and did nothing to share the truth with them. Please pray for me as well that I won't waste a second.
And then, back at home. For all of us, during those normal, everyday every-days. Don't waste them! If you knew the end was coming you probably wouldn't spend any time watching TV unless it was for a specific, God-directed reason. So what excuse do we have for it now?
The ability to share the gospel is a limited time offer. As soon as this life is over, we're done. We simply go tell God how we used the time He so graciously gave us.
Don't get me wrong: our salvation is not based upon what we do with our time. Jesus died to pay for all our sins. He did it all. What I know is that I do not want to stand before my Savior when my life is done and tell Him that I did nothing. Tell him thanks for the cross, but I just had parties for myself down on earth. No! I want to do so much for Jesus on this earth that I will earn a crown. A crown not to wear, but to lay before my Jesus.
Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song whose lyrics challenge me and remind of these truths.
I'm living the next five minutes,
Like these are my last five minutes,
'Cause I know the next five minutes may be all I have.
And after the next five minutes,
Turn into the last five minutes,
I'm taking the next five minutes and starting all over again!
Live every moment like it could be your last, because it could be! Just stop and think. You can be prepared and be assured and live each minute safe in the arms of your Savior. You can use your life, your time, your resources to make an eternal impact. You can someday stand before God and hear Him tell you "Well done." You can be ready. Don't put it off. It is the one and only thing in this world that simply cannot wait.
Are you ready?
Jesus also said in the bible, no one knows the day nor the hour except My Father in Heaven. Dates mean nothing.How many rapture dates have there been in the past? If we really knew the day and the hour, everyone would be and act differently. Therefore, live your life obeying the commandments. Live charitably. Repent of your sins; be forgiving. Forgiveness is key. Lack of forgiveness blocks healing. Get your souls ready now, so that when the hour does come, you won't need to worry or fret. God will take care of you and judge you according to your deeds, according to how well you listened or ignored Him, according to how many people you tried to help, according to how charitable you've been. Trust is the key. If you truly trust in Jesus to help you in all things, and you try your best, He will take care of the rest. In the bible it says that God takes care of the sparrows and birds in the trees, and provides for all their needs, how much more will He provide for His children. He fed the Israelites with manna for forty years. He gives us plenty of chances, more than we deserve so have a little faith; as little as a mustard seed and you will be able to move mountains. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that God doesn't tell us the date of the rapture because He wants us to live for Him all the time, not just when the end is near. However, I disagree that God will judge us on how much good vs. bad we've done, or depending on how well we did in life. The beauty of Jesus' sacrifice is that He paid for our failure. That's what grace is all about! We cannot be good enough, because only perfect is good enough, and we're not perfect. So we will enter heaven only by faith, complete trust. When we do truly believe, our actions and deeds will come automatically. They are not what get us into heaven, but they are the fruit of a heart that is completely in love with Jesus. :) Thanks so much for reading and commenting. God bless you too!
ReplyDeleteI love this post, Shelby! I liked it so much I put it in my may 21st post...hehe. Thank you so much for writing it - God has definitely blessed you with an ability to write. :)
ReplyDeleteShelby my dear. You are absolutely incredible. You write so wonderfully and like Hannah, I would like to steal this post to share it with some of my friends. :) I would be lying if I didn't tell you that you have truely inspired me to be a better christian. Whenever I here the phrase "christian" or "christ-like," you are the first thing that pops in my head. I love reading your posts! They challenge me so much and help me grow in my relationship with God. You are such a great example to us of what it is like to live a life in love with Jesus. So thank you.
ReplyDeleteNow your going to say, "Oh Emma, your so sweet! but its not me its God!" and I just want you to know that yes it is God, but its you too. Allowing him to do such incredible things in your life.
Love you girl!
Emma... you definitely spiked my argument. :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, thank you so much for saying all that. You've challenged me to be a deeper, stronger Christian as well. It means so much to have friends who are such encouragers. I hope I can somehow see you soon! Love you too.