I fear that Christians today may be taking their eye off the ball. It is easy to get distracted by the wars, rumors of wars, famine, persecution of believers, and lawlessness that is abounding. However, when speaking about this very thing, embedded in Christ’s message was this very critical piece of encouragement – “see that you are not troubled.” Jesus explains the reason for His comment – “for all these things must come to pass…” What is happening in our world today is not happenstance or because God has somehow lost control of the steering wheel. It is part of the end-time scenario and we should know that because He told us this would happen. The only thing we don’t know is exactly where on the timeline we are.
For that reason, fellow saints, if we are to “endure to the end” and not have “our love grow cold,” we must pace and brace ourselves for the times that are ahead. We need to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. We need to have the wisdom of Solomon, the boldness of Elijah, and the gentleness of Jesus. We need to make sure we are not taking on battles that belong to God alone. The only thing Jesus told us to fight for were the souls of men. In everything we do, we must gauge our decisions and actions against that criterion alone – will this bring someone closer to Christ or repel them farther away? Remember, if it is not done in love, then it is not worthy of God’s endorsement and involvement.
I am not proposing that we ignore our current state of affairs and do nothing. In fact, sadly enough this is part of how we got here in the first place. As Edmund Burke so rightly stated, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” We have done nothing for a very long time and we can see where that got us.
What I am saying is that the “something,” we do must be bathed in prayer, sanctioned by love, and targeted at the real heart of the matter, not the symptom. Win the soul, not the battle. Actually love the sinner, don’t just hate the sin. Offer Jesus, not a lifestyle change.
Today find one person with whom you can share the love of Christ and you will have taken the first step in doing “something” that will keep you from being “troubled” and help you stay in sync with God’s perfect will – no matter where we are on the timeline.
