Chances are if you’re reading this post you survived the End of the World. Congratulations! You are among the elite who were given more time here on Earth to “make the most” of your life.
Let’s revisit Friday, May 20 under the assumption that the prophecy will hold true and the End of the World is a day away.
What are you satisfied with in your life?
What promises are you waiting for that you haven’t yet witnessed come into fruition?
And what are you planning to do with the rest of your time?
If climbing the corporate ladder, owning a vacation home in the Poconos and retiring at the age of 45 are higher on your list than growing closer to God, introducing people far from Christ to the truth of His message and living a servant-hearted life of love and humility, let’s just be glad the prophesy was false.
Don’t misread this: success is not bad. God wants us to be successful. He wants us to be happy. But success comes in many different forms and it is important to realize that success in the place of God is a recipe for disaster. Frankly, success without God’s blessing isn’t success at all.
In the services following the predicted Rapture we learned about the three types of people we should each have in our lives: mentors, teammates and supporters.
Mentors are people who are in a place spiritually that we strive to be. They are at the next level in their walk with Christ and can offer us spiritual counsel and support.
We find teammates in people who are by our side. When we lack the ability to do something God has called us to do, He brings people into our lives who are equipped with the strengths we don’t have.
Supporters are those friends we have that we know pray for us regularly without prompting. They do what needs to be done to help us get to where we need to be.
All articles indicate that the “righteous” includes about 3% of all humanity on Earth. What should be more troubling than the fact that many Christians sold their PlayStations and took out insurance policies to guarantee their pets’ would be cared for after the Rapture, is the fact that the number of Christ-followers is so low while many of us are standing idly by wondering where to go on vacation this year.
(Current unemployment rate notwithstanding -- you get the point.)
While the Bible clearly states that we cannot predict Jesus’ return to Earth, it does tell us that our time here should not be wasted. Rather than spend each day checking off things on our Bucket Lists we should be investing our time in spreading the message of Christ.
If our mission as Christ-followers is to spread the Gospel we shouldn’t be satisfied with 3% of the world knowing Christ.
If our purpose is to demonstrate love to all we come in contact with we shouldn’t be satisfied with the amount of people who are broken, not from the circumstances in which they find themselves, but from the judgment they face from Pharisaical Christians.
All articles indicate that the “righteous” includes about 3% of all humanity on Earth. What should be more troubling than the fact that many Christians sold their PlayStations and took out insurance policies to guarantee their pets’ would be cared for after the Rapture, is the fact that the number of Christ-followers is so low while many of us are standing idly by wondering where to go on vacation this year.
(Current unemployment rate notwithstanding -- you get the point.)
While the Bible clearly states that we cannot predict Jesus’ return to Earth, it does tell us that our time here should not be wasted. Rather than spend each day checking off things on our Bucket Lists we should be investing our time in spreading the message of Christ.
If our mission as Christ-followers is to spread the Gospel we shouldn’t be satisfied with 3% of the world knowing Christ.
If our purpose is to demonstrate love to all we come in contact with we shouldn’t be satisfied with the amount of people who are broken, not from the circumstances in which they find themselves, but from the judgment they face from Pharisaical Christians.
We need mentors, teammates and supporters to grow in our faith. We also need to become mentors, teammates and supporters to others so that together we can fulfill the Great Commission.
What if our idea of success shifted from exclusivity and materialism to include substantial relationships that help us grow in faith?
What if we spent our time actually getting to know the poor and serving them rather than mailing a check once a year to a charitable organization?
What if, instead of continuing to live our lives with the goal of attaining the riches of this world, we recognize the importance of setting our eyes on the treasures of Heaven and live accordingly?
As your life is today, how comfortable would you be if the world ended tomorrow?
Resources
James Emery White. Momentum. Sermon series available at Mecklenburg Community Church. 2011.
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