23 June 2022
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. (1 Peter 4:7)
It’s so easy for any of us to look around at what currently is or what we currently have and begin to feel as if it will last—maybe not forever, but—for as long as we want or need it to. We subtly tell ourselves that what is will always be. We wouldn’t say it, but we can behave often as if it’s true, living our days and setting our priorities as if it’s true.
In our humanness, we have an instinct to assign permanence to things or circumstances which are, in fact, terribly temporary. We do this mostly because we can’t bear to face the truth of their impermanence. It’s a natural, though not helpful, tendency we all share at some level. There is much to be enjoyed in our earthly life, much to thank God for and receive as good gifts from His hand. But proper perspective is needed and must be consciously chosen.
We do well to be daily reminded: “This world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31) Though not everything is passing away, to be sure. God and God’s Word endure. His Kingdom has no end. People are permanent. We ourselves are eternal souls. These are not of this world. These are not passing away. These are true wealth. And we can invest ourselves in such real, lasting treasure.
But tick tock, our time on earth is ticking away. The window of our work is open only now. Today is what we have. Tomorrow is ours to plan wisely for, but not to presume.
And when we forget the time is short, when we lose sight of the spiritual, eternal realities around us, we begin investing ourselves in the material and temporal. We find our joy in the stuff we purchase and our identity in the teams we cheer on and our significance in our physical attractiveness. We get confused about what truly matters.
We pray primarily about things going well and not so much that God’s will be done no matter what. We gather for worship more to feel better and recharge our batteries than to be better and get equipped to change the world. We mistake our earthly life for our whole life and we drown in the frivolous and banal.
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
We can’t afford to let anything get in our way when it’s time to pray. And friends, it’s time to pray. Time to draw near to God, cry out to God, lean upon God. Today and everyday.
“The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world. …Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.”
C.S. Lewis
This subject of privilege—its meaning, causes, implications, and responsibilities—is one I find I’m far from finished learning about and one I feel every disciple of Jesus should take seriously.
What we do with privilege is a spiritual battle, one we are incapable of winning in our own strength. …Scripture repeatedly acknowledges privilege, which helps provide insight into how privilege insidiously functions today. Learning to unmask privilege is painful work, but the cure of the pain is the pain. By candidly addressing privilege, we create a unique opportunity for the body of Christ to turn away from sin and reorient ourselves toward God and neighbor. The spiritual disciplines of remembrance, confession, lament, and repentance allow us to discern what producing fruit in keeping with repentance entails. Denying that privilege exists only exacerbates the evil it produces and prohibits us from actively participating as co-laborers with Christ in reconciling the world to God.
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I follow this Twitter account simply because some things should never, ever be forgotten.
A PRAYER…
“Lord, clear my head that I may think on You.”