“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36 NLT)
In 2023, on average, more than 330,000 people die every day. Of those nearly 70% are by accidents. What does that tell us? It tells me that more than 200,00 people leave home every day expecting to return, but don’t make it. Why is that important to know? Because on any given day we could be one of those 200,000 people.
Greg Laurie said: “We should live every day as though it were the day that Jesus Christ is coming back because one day it will be the day.” The day of Jesus’ return, while vitally important, isn’t the only day about which we need to be concerned. He may not come back for everyone for many years; however, He may send for you or me today!
There are at least two critical implications. First, if I’m putting off investigating the claims of Christ because I think I have a lot of time, I’m believing a lie. Am I trying to scare someone into becoming a Jesus follower? If only I could 😊. No, I’m trying to wake people up to the reality of the brevity of life. There are dangers in waiting other than the end of life.
Think of Felix who often sent for Paul to hear about the Lord, even to the point he was afraid, but there’s no indication in Scripture that he ever gave his heart to the Lord. Or the words of Paul to Timothy in 4:3-4: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”
What does that mean? It means that whatever opportunities we will have to yield our lives to the Lord, they have an expiration date. God doesn’t promise to give us to the end of our lives to decide. The Holy Spirit will work with us and draw us, but there comes a time when we will no longer listen or will no longer be able to hear Him.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19: “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.” The word “stifle” means “to extinguish” like putting out a fire, or “to suppress,” with the express reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. If you or someone you know is stifling the Spirit by continually pushing Him away, that’s a very dangerous position to be in.
But equally as dangerous is thinking “I’ll just say a quick prayer on my death bed!” What if you don’t make it to a death bed? What if your heart stops, like my mom’s, and you’re dead before you hit the floor? What if Alzheimer’s or some other debilitating mental disorder robs you of your ability to think clearly? What if…and there are a thousand reasons Satan will seek to have you believe that will push you past the point of decision.
One last consideration that is the most frightening to me is that Satan “inoculates” people with a shred of truth, leading them to believe they’re saved when in fact they are not. How can we know with certainty that we’re a child of God? Paul writes in Romans 8:16: “For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Repeating the words of someone’s prayer isn’t the basis of our salvation. Trust in the completed work of Christ on the Cross opens the door of our heart and gives us insight into what Jesus did for us that we could never in eternity ever do for ourselves. If you have even a hint of doubt that you’re dead to sin and alive to Christ, please click the Ron Hutchcraft link and make sure right now, while you still can. Ron Hutchcraft.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 