HOW ARE YOU HANDLING THIS TENSION?
May I ask you a question today ? Can you do two things at once ? Usually the answer by most is no, multi-tasking is not their thing. Yet, as Christians from the day we are born again, we must learn to do two things at once. This is one of the “tensions” in the Christian life.
WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?
Jesus tells us in Luke 21:28: “look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”NKJV or Paul “it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” Romans 13:11 NKJV
We are as Christians to live constantly in the light of the fact that Jesus could return TODAY. The signs are everywhere that this world system is coming to an end.
As a teenager our goal is to complete our senior High School studies or as a young adult complete an undergraduate degree, when we graduate we start thinking about developing a career, seeking a wife, buying a house, starting a family, yet the Word of God says we are to “keep looking up” this is totally opposite to what is the normal way of doing things. So the question is ?
HOW DO WE DO IT?
I have been a Christian now for sixty six and a half years, and I struggle with this important truth (and “tension”) every day, especially in the light of the fact I have surely few years before I leave this “mortal coil”, plus I am hoping to have the privilege of seeing Jesus break through the clouds for His Church, when “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” 1 Cor. 15:51-53 NKJV I will share some thoughts with you of how I am trying to live with this “tension”.
Let me say there is nothing wrong with all those goals and plans that I have mentioned. Yet my greatest goal must be “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead”. Phil. 3:10-11. NKJV
HOW DO I RECONCILE THESE TWO IMPORTANT GOALS?
Just as Paul says in Romans 12:1 we must “continually” (24/7) be presenting our bodies to the Lord as an instrument of righteousness, so we must learn to “continually” verbalise before the Lord, I AM LOOKING UP, I REFUSE TO GET SLEEPY, This must become a lifestyle. Most of us are not as disciplined as we should be, but, we can ask the Lord to help us to be obedient to the Word of God.
It would be wise to create a list of Second Coming Scriptures and read a portion EVERY DAY, and pray “LORD TURN THE LIGHT ON? let this information become REVELATION, let it be a “rhema” word to me, that it produces faith in my heart Romans 10:17 NKJV. When it becomes revelation it will change my heart and mind and responses to the command of the Word of God, it also produces something special too. “And everyone who has this hope (of Christ’s soon return) in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure”. 1 John 3:3. There will be an increased desire for purity and holiness.
We know the enemy of our soul does not want us to be thinking about the soon return of Jesus, and he will continually be busy “distracting us” and of course tempting us, in any and every way he can.
My biggest enemy of course is ME, and that is why we need all the help we can get all the time, to live and embrace this “tension”. I get tired and lazy and sleepy and distracted, can you relate to this??As well as doing the things I have suggested above, get a prayer partner and ask him (or her) to pray daily for you, (and with you) that every day you will LOOK UP, AND NOT GET SLEEPY. Remember I mentioned what must be our greatest goal, as expressed by Paul in Phil. 3:10-11 As a teenager in the Salvation Army I remember singing a chorus, that gripped my life, I am now singing it again daily before the Lord, and making it my prayer like never before.
To be like Jesus! this hope possesses me,
In every thought and deed; this is my aim, my creed,
To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me,
His Spirit helping me, like Him I’ll be.
So, I wonder whether you feel this “tension” I have written about today, and have struggled and been frustrated because of the difficulty of “doing it”. I trust the above has helped you somewhat, I would love to hear from you regarding any aspect of this blog. Some of my readers I have never met, others have I not seen for years, but by God’s grace, I will see you here, or there (heaven) OR IN THE AIR amen
