I’ve decided to title this word of encouragement “Our Time is Now” because of our somewhat uncertain future. I believe it’s safe to say that 2020 did not come up short of surprises. We’ve suffered the loss of many, racial inequality has continued to cause an uproar, and to top it all off, the world has been experiencing a pandemic for months. These unprecedented times may have disrupted some plans you had for this year, but if we were able to foresee these events before this year started, would you have planned differently? Unfortunately, we can’t go back in time to change this, so we have to utilize our time wisely because time is a gift that doesn’t last long.
Ephesians 5:15-16 restates this perfectly. “Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” In 2 Peter 2:11, we are spoken to as “sojourners”, people that temporarily live in an area. In our case, this world is temporary. We as Christians are just “passing through” to get to our final destination, which is heaven. We have even been told by Jesus himself that he is coming soon. It can seem like a thousand years in our eyes, but it’s like a day to Him (2 Peter 3:8). All in all, that day could be tomorrow for all we know. Because this world is temporary, we must take advantage of what we have today. Tomorrow is never promised.
Now that we are aware of the limited time we have left, what should we do with it? Ephesians 5:17 says that “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is”. So what is the Lord’s will? In other words, what is our purpose? The basis of fulfilling our purpose in life is to live according to God’s Word. To live according to God’s Word, we have to read it and truly understand it. Reading the Bible can’t be a part of our day just to satisfy our conscience. In the long run, it’ll get us nowhere. Matthew 6:33 says to “Seek first the kingdom of God”. Getting to know God, and not just know about Him, should be prioritized over everything else. And again, time is limited, so we need to follow His Word in Isaiah 55:6 and “Seek the LORD while he may be found”. From there, we need to share this message with everyone around us. We are all trying to get to heaven.
This can sound troubling. Time is running out, and things can get hectic, but this is only part of the message. Jesus’ return is inevitable, and we should be vigilant. But Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says that “nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor -it is the gift of God”. So we need to enjoy the world that God has designed for us and know that if we continue to follow Him and live according to His Word, there will be an even greater place for us to enjoy.
And to tie this all back to what we’ve heard all year, there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and God has made everything, including allowing this pandemic, for its purpose. It may be unknown to us now, but we need to wait patiently and allow God to reveal Himself to us. So, let’s finish 2020 with an open mind, and continue to change our world today while we still have it.
We can’t “redo” 2020. Every day is a gift in itself, and we need to use the day to the best of our ability, especially when it comes to the kingdom of God. If we truly want to do God’s will, we can no longer wait. Our time is now