No Shutting Down

Exodus 26-27 Matthew 25:1-30 Psalm 31:1-8 Proverbs 8:1-11

I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. – Matthew 25:24-25 TNIV

When will Jesus come back for us? This is the million dollar question that a number of people have tried to answer unsuccessfully over the years. Some people believe the Mayan calendar predicts Jesus’ coming by coming to an end. Often times, when people believe they’ve figured it out, they go on vacation from life. That is, they quit paying bills, quit going to work, quit all responsibility.

Then there are the people who are afraid of Jesus. They don’t believe they can be good enough for Him, so they never try in the first place. Can you blame them? If a person honestly believes he is doomed to die, why not do whatever is appealing at the moment? At least that way a person would not have to do all that religious stuff they really don’t want to do only to be burned in the end anyway.

The truth is none of us can be good enough for Jesus. That was the reason He came and died for us. It is true that He is coming back for us, but after reading the parable about the money managers, can we really believe He wants us to quit or not even try before He comes back? He saves us because out of the love of His heart, but He will not save us against our wills. In the meantime, He wants us to shine our lights in this dark world and invest our skills to build His kingdom—all the way to the very end.

Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we have believed You were a tyrant rather than a brother. We want to look forward to You coming back. We want to know there will be a happy ending here. In the meantime, teach us to live for You and to invest for Your kingdom until You actually do arrive. Amen.