Digging Deeper – Stay Ready
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
1 Peter 4:7 (ESV)
STAY READY
These early Christians who faced persecution took great comfort in the fact that their suffering would one day end and that the evil ways of the wicked would be judged. Peter, like the other apostles, was always aware that Christ could return at any moment (see Romans 13:11–12; 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:3; 1 John 2:18). Likewise, as believers, we need to be mindful that “the end of all things is near,” for Christ can come at any time. To be ready, Peter tells us to think clearly and restrain ourselves from sin as we lean on the Lord in prayer.
Pastor Rick Ezell writes: “George Tulloch led an expedition to the spot where the Titanic sank in 1912. He and his crew recovered numerous artifacts. Before leaving the site, Tulloch’s team set out to raise a 20-ton piece of iron. They successfully lifted it to the surface, but a storm blew in, the ropes broke, and the Atlantic reclaimed her treasure. Tulloch was forced to retreat and regroup. Before he left, he did something curious. He descended into the deep and, with the robotic arm of his submarine, attached a strip of metal to a section of the hull. On the metal, he’d written these words, ‘I will come back, George Tulloch.’”
Jesus uttered the exact words to His disciples: “I will come back.” Jesus made a promise He intends to keep. We just don’t know when He will come for us. In C.S. Lewis’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a conversation between Lucy and Aslan, the lion who is the Christ figure in the story, unfolds: “Do not look so sad. We shall meet soon again.” “Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “What do you call soon?” “I call all times soon,” said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away. James tells us that until we meet Jesus, we should strengthen our hearts and patiently endure, knowing it will all be worth it. Are you ready for His coming?
If today was your last day on earth, what undone “business” would you take care of? What is keeping you from acting on these things today? How does the assurance of Jesus’ return help you endure difficult times? Praise God for being a promise-keeping God. Thank Him for the hope and promise of Jesus’ second coming.
Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Maturity at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton. He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.
