Draw near

EVEN IF YOU are not prepared, even if you already have too much to deal with, tomorrow is coming.

But I already have enough to cope with. Tomorrow may be impossible for me to handle. So what can I do?

We live in a time beyond understanding. Our version of reality has come crumbling down. It’s not any one person’s fault. It’s a collective madness. Dark powers and spiritual forces of evil are at work. I find no other explanation for the pain we bring upon ourselves.

How else do I explain the crimes committed on every level in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, governments and houses of worship? How else can I explain why world leaders edge us closer to global conflict?

Cain killed Abel due to resentment and selfish pride. But I don’t need the Bible to tell me Satan exists. I only need to read the headlines.

Some may hear only bleak pessimism in my words. But I know we will all face harsh challenges in the near future. So I call myself to prepare for what’s coming next… or maybe for what’s already here.

The various forms of violence unleashed against us drive many to strike back. Others have found false freedom in the chaos. Everything is permissible and approved. Meanwhile, the poor and the meek suffer from intense hardship of all kinds.

Perhaps the second greatest sin after intentional harm is indifference. What does God say to me about all this? What did he ask Cain? Where is your brother?

The coming age will require great courage. Solid men, women, families and communities must rise up as they have in ages past.

Right now, I do not feel fully prepared for what I see coming. My faith continues to be fragmented at times. I get distracted. My motives and priorities aren’t fully aligned as they should be. The bright light of the goodness of God exposes my shadows.

But still, there is time. A window of opportunity exists. I have time to dig deeper — to stand more firmly upon the bedrock. I have time to prepare.

I have time to let the impossibility of tomorrow be made possible by God. 

Part of this is living up to your responsibilities. It’s also somehow being firm, loyal, and resilient… but guided by a tender heart. It’s knowing you need constant healing from the gentle touch of God. It’s feeding upon his Word to gain strength and clarity.

So we yearn for miraculous transformations that bring people to belief. We know the Kingdom of Heaven will not arrive through force or control. We ask for the children of God to be united in the Father and in the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so I call out to my sisters and brothers, let us draw even closer to him, the author and finisher of our faith. May our trust be rooted in the true vine to meet the new reality. 

And may the Spirit of God prepare us to serve our loved ones and our neighbor, never letting go of our faith, never losing trust… no matter how tough it gets.

This is how we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior.

. . . . . . .

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 12:1-3

…

…

…

Never miss a post. Subscribe to Third Millennium Man.

Support my writing.