LEARNING DAILY

Romans 13:11-14, And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. That night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

I am putting aside the Upper Room discourse for the time being. There is Scripture that I just cannot get off my mind; therefore, I am passing it on to the readers of this blog. God told the prophet, Jeremiah, that His people were committing sins, such as speaking deception, lying, stealing, murdering (with their gossip, etc.), committing adultery, burning incense to other gods, and chasing after other gods whom they did not know (Jeremiah 7:5-9). After doing these things, they went to the temple to stand before God believing they were secure in His love for them. They offered sacrifices that they thought would hide their sin from God; they did not plan to repent or stop doing any of these things. God called His house a “den of thieves” (v. 11) because of the hypocrisy of His people; He called them out for thinking they could live any way they wanted and then to be worthy as they came into the House of God. A few verses further, God told Jeremiah not to pray for them anymore as they were intent on their self-destruction. God was going to allow them to have their way.

In the verses above, Paul is writing with a great sense of urgency for the Church to wake up and the people of God to catch this urgency because the time was close for the return is closer than they realize. That was Paul writing a long time ago. If he thought that, what should Believers and the Church think about the closeness of our Lord’s return today? Jesus said in Matthew 16:3, “You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” I wonder if Believers still do not understand the times because they are going about life thinking they can live like they want, go to church, sing some songs, listen to a feel-good message and everything is fine.

Let me write for each Believer to get ready and stay ready because the Lord is coming! Look again at Paul’s writing, “for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”. David Jeremiah wrote, “… that something could happen at any moment – that nothing has to occur before that something happens”. David Jeremiah was writing that nothing else needs to occur before God’s people are raptured, the taking of His people to be with Him “in the clouds” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Think of it in this way, Jesus coming for His people is closer than when you accepted Him as your Savior. Those people taken will be those watching vigilantly for Him, walking the narrow way with Jesus in obedience to His Word. Your salvation will be complete when you are taken to be with Him in His kingdom for eternity.

God told Jeremiah (7:23) that obedience to His voice, walking in all His ways, being His people would ensure that all would be well with those who do. Paul explained in Romans 12:1-13:10 what it means to live as a Christian while on earth. In the verses above, he is writing why it is essential to live this way. He was telling his readers it was time to wake up!

And so, I write as well. It is time to wake up and live and walk on the narrow way as God desires each Believer to do. In the day of Jeremiah, God told him that the people would not listen to him nor obey His call to walk with Him in obedience; they would “stiffen their neck” (Jeremiah 7:26-28). Do not be like them! Paul believed the day of Christ calling His people to Him could come at any day. Two thousand years later, I wonder how much longer it will be! It is your choice to be ready or not!