28 Mar Are We Really Ready?

As I sit on the plane and look around me, my heart is sidelined by observing a rampant worldly destruction of our minds through innumerable empty and fleeting pursuits. So many people are tied up with various interests, some perhaps actually so, but many not so interesting at all. And yet still, their minds are tied and their hearts are distracted, and the course of it brings no real meaning or fulfillment to life. Like an ever elusive carrot for the galloping horse, the end of the race is never much more than a bite of some quickly fleeting insubstantial substance. Meaningful for what it’s worth but alas not worth much and absolutely nothing at all in light (or revelation) of eternity.

And yet how much we long to live for the here and now? The gratitude, applause, smiles and back-pats, attention and respect of the many, and yet while the flesh rises in pride and self importance, how our souls wilt for the vanity of it all. Some spend their whole lives traveling for work to make money to support a family they rarely see, to succeed at a career that brings no eternal value, while wasting precious years feeding an ever yearning for respect that perhaps will never come.

If only we could live for the eternal, to put away the flesh and it’s many desires, to occupy our hearts and minds with the things of God and little else. But what good would we be to the world to be so heavenly minded, you might ask? My dear friend, I would be so prompt to respond that we would be as a fresh stream of Living Water flowing from that eternal River toward souls already feeling the heat as they stand on the cusp of fire and eternal hell. If only we could run down this disaster line dividing temporal from eternal screaming salvation to the multitude who toe the edge between life and eternal flame and like desperate men with desperate hearts snatch them one by one from death and shake their souls to life with the gospel of Christ with a fire and zeal that burns in our eyes so brightly that it blinds the devil.

We would do the world much good and that defeated enemy much displeasure to rid ourselves of the many distractions of life that take away our attention and cloud our hearts from true passion, reverent worship, and unrelenting service unto the King of Glory.

How long until we meet God? When shall our true redemption begin? What words will be upon our lips? Are we even ready? What psalm is dedicated to the praises of our heart?

Of course, robotically we respond that we are more ready now than ever before. And in the meantime, while waiting for that day, we occupy the attention of our souls to almost everything but that dearest worship unto the Lord God to which we were created for. But of course we know the truth. Our worlds falls into bitter decay, just as prophesied, while the broad road to destruction becomes ever the more crowded with enthusiastic foot traffic and road markers of dead religion to light the way. Not only is hell filling up, the deceived many are delighting in their way, never the wiser and all the more foolish to lead the blind while they themselves cannot see.

Oh, but let us repent and turn to the Lord! Let us cleanse our hands, purify our hearts, humble ourselves in the sight of God, submit ourselves one to another, flee from conformity to this world, and consecrate ourselves unto a holy and righteous King! What a beautiful day that would be! Let us put away the deeds of the flesh, crucify our passions and earthly desires, to deny ourselves and take up our cross, to become as nothing, so that we might die upon that same glorious hill! Only then might we be made new and see God!

May we begin today to choose a different course. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way to see the Lord. The trials and challenges are many. Endure to the end. Walk in faith. Run the race with joy. Keep your lamps full and your hearts on fire.

The end is coming. Are you REALLY ready?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭KJV