Articles
If the Lord Should Come
In the time of Peter, there were people questioning the coming of the Lord in judgment. Peter asks them, “Have you considered the flood? Did you miss that?” Further, he tells them just because the coming of the Lord is not on their timetable, do not think it is not on His. His timetable is different than ours.
Peter uses his warning about the coming of the Lord as motivation for how they ought to have their conduct in holiness and godliness.
What if we all did consider our lives with the urgency and anticipation of looking for His coming? On the other hand, what if we all looked with doom at His coming if we are not conducting our lives in holiness and godliness? How would we live each day?
When we see someone in their 90’s and they die, we say, “Well, they lived a good long life.” There is an expectancy. When a person in their 50’s die, it is a little bit more of a shock to our system. For certain, an eleven-year old is not supposed to die. That really shocks our system. We hear of a person with terminal cancer. The last word is, “Nothing more can be done.” We know the end is ever near. But we who are whole, we live on and the sun is expected to rise in the morning. It is just the way it is. It is the routine. We have no threat to our lives.
But wait. Are we looking for the coming of the Lord? Do we live with anticipation and urgency for what His coming would mean to us? Do we live with the dread of His coming if we are not ready to meet Him? Oh the aged, middle aged and occasionally young and terminal are expected to meet Him soon. But not the rest of us. We say, “Lord come quickly.” But really, do we really mean “come quickly?” If we did, how would that change our lives?
If we lived each day as though this were the day of His coming, what would we do that day? If we lived each day as though He were coming, would our conduct be with holiness and godliness? We are tangible people. We like tactile things. This is not tangible or tactile. This world seems to be reality. In our world we will live another day. We take it for granted. It is expected. However, the Lord’s coming is not tangible.
Consider: if we lived today as though this were the day, would we be apathetic of our conduct and attitude towards God? Would we put off and put off and put off until COVID-19 is over?
If the Lord came today, would it be a day that surprised us or a day we have been looking for? “Oh, wait, I thought you were coming…someday.”
If we lived our lives as though this is the day, then age, disease, or this world would not matter. What would matter is living our lives in all holiness and all godliness.
Rickie Jenkins
