Acts 1:6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
So we anticipate the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and in that anticipation, we prepare for His coming. Our preparation is an active life of service to Jesus. That active life is immersed in serving Jesus from a heart of love and that love is the foundation for all we say and do. Even while Jesus was still on the earth He gave us the command of what to do From Here on and that is found in Luke 12:35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning,36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him at the moment he arrives and knocks.37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.
A believer who is anticipating the return of Jesus is a believer who is about the Lord's work with a fervent, or aggressive faith. The Apostle Paul lived this kind of faith and in Ephesians 5:16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. If those were considered evil days in Paul's time think how evil it is now!! So we need to be hyper-aggressive in what we do instead of sitting back and doing nothing. The only way to redeem time is to intensify our attitude about what we do and how we do it. Too many believers have gone asleep and are not growing in their walk and the end result is a lazy, apathetic faith walk. As evil increases, we also must increase in our life direction and win more and more to Jesus Christ and disciple them in the Word of God. Jesus speaks to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3 where He says 14vThis is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning[e] of God’s new creation: 15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
The gold we made and built our lives on has tainted the fervency we are to have as believers. We let time slip through our hands like sand. Paul said it this way in his letter to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 6:2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.
From Here On may it be our heart's desire to realize the essence of slowing down time by overcompensating each moment so that in those moments God slows down time just a little to give us more time to share the message of life. To speed up our aggressiveness in sharing Jesus is to slow down time itself and give that time back to God in heartfelt service. Oh, the wonders of His love never cease and never die. Speed up Lord our hearts' desire to reach this world for You. Matthew 5:“14 You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
The Pilgrimage Continues.....
David Warren