Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord ’s judgment is near. The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners. Zephaniah 1:7 NLT
Perhaps you like a good meme. I know I do. (Also, to save you the mild embarrassment I suffered, it’s like “meem,” not “me-me.”) Most of them are just amusing ways to make fun of everyday awkward situations that humans encounter. One of them is a bit creepier, because you know, people are all creepy. This collection/expression of memes is simply dubbed “soon.” My favorite is this:
Image courtesy Know Your Meme
Creepy right? Why did I show you that. Weren’t you reading? It amuses me. But anyway. “Soon” seems very ambiguous in and of itself, right? How ambiguous? So much so that it is the one word God gave John to describe when He would return. After all, isn’t that the case-in-point for an ambiguous statement? God, when will you return to rescue us from this world? Soon. Yeah, uh, I can’t find that on a calendar. Can you help me out? Sure, soon. Did you say June? No, soon.
If your getting caught up in “when” I think your missing the bigger picture. And I know that your initial response was “that’s the point!” Yeah, no. If you knew God was coming in 10 days, would you work harder to convince the people you love of the worthiness of repentance than if you knew He was coming in 10,000 days? Don’t lie to me. Actually, this is a screen. Don’t lie to yourself! That’s the fact. The problem with that is no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. just because tomorrow looks like a given doesn’t mean it will ever come. And how many people have you ever proven God’s love to in 10 days? God gives you a set amount of time in which to do His work on the earth, to be His influence on the earth, and a specific set of skills from His Spirit with which to do the work.
If you’re blessed enough for God to give you 10,000 or more days in this world in His service, you should expect to account for each of them. I suspect one way God will measure your service on earth is in the number of His children you brought home. Stop acting like that’s a test you can cram for! Whether God has one 10,000-day project for you in the life of a family member or one hundred 100-day projects, He’s giving you this time to change, not just lives, but eternities. If that’s not enough, 1) maybe google some verse on humility and then 2) check this out:
When you pray today, thank God for the people who paved the road for you to Christ. Thank God for the grace He had no reason to give you but gave anyway. Ask God to help you use His tools and to show you to His work.
Don’t start your work soon. That’s when God will be here.
The Daily 200 