The Faithful Surrender

They’ve been saying it for ages. It’s been repeated in church for years, it has spilled onto the streets, made its way onto signage posted along the roadways, plastered on social media, and planted into the hearts of many for years. You’ve guessed it – Jesus is coming back!

Before you just skip through or stop reading, please understand that this is not your classic “Jesus is coming soon” informational. This is not an attempt to shame you or scare you into salvation. This isn’t a Bible study on the end times and this is not a meaningless, obligatory writing. This is a plea from a burdened heart. This is a call to prepare. This is a heartfelt warning.

For almost 13 months, I’ve felt overly burdened for those who do not know Jesus, those who are unsure of their salvation, and those who know Him but are far from Him. I know, this might be normal for most Christians, but this seems different. This is urgent. Urgency paired with caution. 

To really understand my thinking, I want to direct your attention back to the beginning. The real beginning, the very beginning – Genesis. ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ says:

(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

(28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Man – made in God’s image, after God’s likeness.

If we proceed, reading the second chapter (namely verses 15-17), we find out that God placed the man that He created, named Adam, into the garden that He created called The Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. God gave Adam a commandment allowing him to eat freely of any tree in the garden except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam that the day in which he eats of it, he will surely die. 

Continuing on to the third chapter, through the tenth verse, we find that the serpent deceived Eve and convinced her to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We find that Eve gave the fruit to Adam and he ate it also. This is what’s referred to as the fall of man. This is the reason that sin has found its way into the life of every single person born from that very day forward. This is why we struggle with sin to this day. This is the reason that Jesus had to be born of a virgin. This is why we needed Jesus and His work at The Cross, and this is the reason that we must accept Christ and be born again. 

The fall of man, as time’s gone on, has evolved into a lot of things. One thing in particular, though, is that it’s enabled us to become consumed with anything and everything except for God and His likeness. We can become attracted to and involved in things that exist only to take us from God. This attraction and this involvement leads to the creation of ulterior motives, altered perspectives, and ungodly desires that creep in and overwhelm us in our daily lives. Even to the point that we don’t think of God anymore. We make ourselves so busy, so troubled, so depressed, so anxious, and at times, so evil that our heart becomes hardened and our receptiveness to the Lord fades away. This might translate to our work, to politics, to making money, or to anything, really. 

This is not just human nature. This is not just something that happens. This is a plot of the enemy. This is the enemy. This deception that we find ourselves amidst, is the very tactic that we see in Genesis that contributed to the fall of man. The enemy wants us to alter our thinking, alter our actions and our perspectives, alter our focus to anything other than God and what He has in store for us. The scary part is that we go for it. We go for the things that appeal to the flesh. We go for the things that make us look good, make us feel good. The things that promote us, give us power, fame, and fortune. The time has come, however, that we become vigilant and rise above this tactic, this plot, through and by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Somewhere among the distractions we’ll find the warning. We’ll hear it, we’ll read it, we might even feel it, but will we take heed to it? 

Look at the happenings of today. Violence in the streets, wars, illnesses, conspiracy after conspiracy, dirty politics, and corruption at every turn. Distractions everywhere. 

Again, somewhere among the distractions we’ll find the warning. 

Jesus, throughout His entire ministry, but especially prior to his crucifixion, teaches and warns that we are to be ready for His return. One way that He shared this message was through the Parable Of The Ten Virgins that we can find in Matthew 25:1-13: 

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Watch. Watch. Watch. 

Here is where we find the urgency. We don’t know when Jesus is coming back. We don’t know the day nor the hour. But regardless of when Jesus is coming back, we must come to the realization that we are not promised tomorrow. We are not even promised the next hour, the next second. Things can change in a split second. One second, alive and well, next second (you fill in the blank). The old hymn, Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand, starts by saying “Time is filled with swift transition…” and no truer words have ever been spoken. Time is ever changing. James says it best when he says, “whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” -‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ We must be ready. We must be ready. We MUST be ready. 

Here is where we find the caution. The third verse of that hymn says: “Covet not this world’s vain riches that so rapidly decay. Seek to gain the Heavenly treasures, they will never pass away!” Jesus puts it like this in Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬: “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”. We must be cautious in regard to where we lay up our treasures. We should not allow our only investments to be carnal. Why do we go after the things of this world? Why do we go after the things that appeal to our flesh but grieve the Spirit? We have to stop and remember that there is something far greater than this world could ever offer. We are made in the image of God. God’s intention for mankind was not to remain lost, which is exactly what we do each and every second we go without Him, but His intention is for us to have life, and have it more abundantly. 

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” -‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬

There has never been a time more urgent than the current, when our focus should be shifted toward the Lord, our perspective fixed on Him, our mind renewed and stayed on Jesus. The time has come that we all must repent, renew, realign, and revive. The time has come to make a decision. Life or death, good or evil, light or darkness? Choose life. Jesus is coming back. 

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” -‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭36‬