On That Day

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  Luke 17:33-34 (NIV)

Have we grown tired of hearing of the end of times?  Has the message of Jesus returning to earth lost some of its urgency in our hearts and in our minds?  Is it a subject that becomes increasingly more difficult to have a decent conversation about?  Jesus spoke often of this coming Kingdom.  Prophets foretold of it.  So what is it that we just can´t get our heads around?  Could we be missing an important part?  Is there something still missing in our theology?

When we read the teachings of Jesus, do we get the sensation that He is trying to get a few certain points across to us?  When He began His ministry, what was His message?  Was it that His Father and the eternal Kingdom were near to us?  Is this something we need to be told?  Does the natural man possess this kind of awareness already?  Or do we need to be led into an understanding that He is here?

As Jesus continues His ministry and progresses past the basic concept of a loving God actively reaching out to us, where do His encouragements lead us?  Does He give us hope in our diligent studies and our abilities to figure things out?  Does He lead us to believe that we can find Him and Heaven by looking at the world around us?  Or does the Saviour point us in a completely different direction?  Does He encourage us to make an extremely real discovery with our hearts and within our very souls?  Does He merely give us outward expressions to follow?  Or does He ask us to look deeper into the very core of our beings and make room there for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell with us?  Does He attempt to guide us into a process that will displace our faith in ourselves and place our hope, our trust and our hearts upon Him?  Jesus speaks of His return.  He speaks of Heaven.  But does He also take time once again to encourage us not to look at our familiar world and common ways?  Could He be trying to show us how we can prepare our hearts now, to assure our souls of a welcomed reuniting with Him?

The Pharisees press Him on the issue.  Jesus confides in His closest followers.  Is He trying to speak to us still today?  How are we hearing those words?  Where is He asking us to look?  Should we go along with those who say Jesus is over here?  Should we listen to them or believe them when they say God is over there?  What does the Holy Spirit give testimony to?  Could Jesus´ teaching still help us to see that we must do something on our part?  Is there still time for us to find Him right here and right now?  Could we lay aside all our deciphering and our figuring?  Could we try to grow past that and into an all-important nearness to the One who was described as being closer than we think?  Is it still possible for us to realize that our hearts need to be tuned in harmony with Someone and Something that is very real and should be living closer than our skin is to us?  Should we dedicate our time, attention and affections on cultivating our relationship with God right now with all haste?  Should we sense a Presence in our lives and an urgency to know and be known by our Lord today?  Would the assurance of a future day still lie firmly upon the nearness and fullness we find of God in us in THIS DAY?

Dear Jesus, come to us and teach us once again.  Open our hearts to receive Your instruction.  Show us again where to direct our hearts today!  Then in looking for You now, may we be assured of being ready for THE DAY THE SON IS REVEALED!

Amen