Soon and very soon

1 John 2:15
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."


 The New Testament authors understood that they were living in the last days. Peter and Paul knew that Jesus could and might come back at anytime. This realization drove them to do the things they talked about and preached to the world. John knew that if were going to love this world we would be too attached to it and for those living in the last days being attached to the world and the things of it was a bad thing. For those living in the last days, anticipating the return of Christ, should only be focusing on His job and preaching the gospel through their words and actions. So the New Testament church was to realize that Christ was coming back at any moment, they had a job to do in this world in those last moments, this job was to look forward and make others ready for the coming of Jesus, and finally their greatest hope and joy was looking forward to that moment of Jesus return. This is a life that is marching to a different drum.

God has been reminding me that we as the church today, 2000 years later should be no different. We need to live in a realized eschatology that is all about the return of Jesus and life's moments now driven by that fact. We should be filled with continual joy and hope in the fact that Jesus is coming back at any time and we too are living in the last days. This hope we have in Jesus return is not a fleeting hope either, it is a fully secured hope in the fact Jesus said He was coming back and guarantee that He keeps His promises. Every moment in life is driven by the fact Jesus is coming and we better be driven by that, not by the pleasures of this world. Why do we do what we do? Do we do what we do for a better world, for our happiness, or for our future children? Everything we say, think, and do better be driven by the fact Jesus is coming at any moment and then it is over. This realization, hope, joy, and faith in our lives as the church then should lead us to march by a different drum beat.

This drum beat is a march for Jesus and taking as many as we can into the kingdom with us. This march is not for ourselves, children, or future pleasures. This march is for the glory, praise, and honor of our returning King Jesus. He is coming so every message better include that. We march to a beat that the hope and foundation of that beat is in Jesus, not ourselves or this fallen and broken world. Yes, we live in the world and yes we are to reach the world but the world should not be beating our drum. Jesus should be beating the drum for our march because He is coming back soon and very soon.

"Soon and very soon we are going to see the King". Are we ready and is that marching us to a different beat?