Just Thinking.........Again

Romans 13:11
¹¹ 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. ¹² The 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. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Paul told these Roman Christians to know the time.  The word for time is not speaking about the time of day; it is talking about the era or age we are living.  For Paul to talk to these Romans Christians about the era they were living in, he was speaking about living in the church age.  This was a time of grace and of the spreading of the gospel.  Things weren't easy, there were corrupt governments, there were persecutions along with trials and tribulations.

And when we read these same words in our era it's not much different.  We are called to know the time or era in which we stand.  We are still in the church age.  Salvation is still going out to the world and to the gentiles.  Things aren't easy, we still see corrupt governments, persecutions along with trials and tribulations.

However, if Paul thought it was important for the folks of his time to wake up and take note of the age they were living in, then he has to be screaming it to us.  Anything after the resurrection of Christ is considered the last days.  The disciples knew they were living in the last days.  Jesus Christ can come at any time now.  It seems we are living in the last of the last days.

Paul told them to wake up!  He's saying this is not the time for spiritual apathy or lethargy.  They had no time to be unresponsive to the things of God.  And again, I have to think if he was telling them to wake up, he's screaming it at us. 

We've been waiting for hundreds of years.  Jesus didn't come before so what makes me think he'll come today.  We could easily be lulled into a Ho hum Christianity.  But I think time is short.  There's no time for 'ho hum' or 'I don't care' or "I'll worry about it later."

If the entire world knew the Lord was coming back next week what would happen?  Crime would drop to nearly 0% overnight.  Church attendance would skyrocket immediately.  You wouldn't be able to buy a bible, they'd be sold out.

If the world knew the time was short they would want to be right with the Lord.  They would study up like they were going for a final exam.  Paul gave the answers to that exam in the book of Romans.  He told us what we should look like when the Lord comes back.  We should be found transformed with a renovated mind.  We should be driven by love, living peaceably with as many as possible, not taking vengeance but leaving it to the Lord, obeying our government, paying our taxes, and working with the spiritual gifts given to us inside the body or Christ.

The problem is we don't know when the Lord will come back.  Maybe it will be next week, maybe today.  It's not for us to know.  And because of that the world needs to wake up.  Believers need to wake up or stay awake.  We can't be lulled to sleep by the passing of years.

This could be the year or the week or the day.  Paul says, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.  We are one step closer to our glorification.  With each passing day we are another step closer to being in His presence.

The night is far spent.  The night is this dark time we live in where we have to battle our sinful nature.  Temptations are all around us.  Satan is the prince of the power of the air in this fallen world and this time or age.  It's a time when governments and authorities are required to keep evil in check.

But the day is at hand.  We are to put on the armor of light.  This age is nearly spent and a new age is coming.  This is the dawn of eternity for each believer.

As we approach this time, Paul encourages us to be prepared.  We need to cast off the works of darkness since night is almost over.  We need to put away the things of the night, the things of darkness: the drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and envy.  And we should remember Paul is talking to Christians about these things. 

The preparation Paul is speaking about is in terms of being dressed.  As we were in the world we were dressed in the things of darkness and lived in the dark.  But now that we are born again we know that time is short.  We should change what we are wearing.  We should cast off the dark clothes and put on the light ones.  We should put on Jesus Christ.

Paul is speaking about figuratively wearing Him.  Every day we need to get up and put Jesus Christ on.  Because he is our finest and we want to be dressed in our best when the end comes.  When we are clothed in Christ, there will be no provisions for flesh or the lusts of the flesh.

Another year has passed.  As you look back, let me ask you, have we redeemed your time wisely?  The day is coming, the night is almost over and you are closer to the day when you will stand before the Lord.  We will all stand before God and when we do can we say we spent our time getting prepared?  With each minute, hour, or day that passes that time grows closer.  With each year that passes are we growing in holiness with the pace of passing time?  Time passes quickly.  Is our spiritual growth keeping pace?

In the last year, have you grown closer to the Lord?  Don't look back with regret and wring your hands.  Look back and measure yourself against yourself.  Picture yourself at this time last year.  Compare that to now.

Are you going the right direction?  Are you growing the right direction?  Have you set a pace and kept your eye on the goal?  Not to do a whole bunch of works.  It's not a list of things to earn favor with God.  Just love the Lord and serve Him; seek after Him.

Paul said, "Know the time."  Look at where you are standing right now.  And another new year is before us.  It's a blank slate.  You know where you've been and, good or bad, it's history and doesn't matter now.  Use last year only to confirm the course you are on,  or adjust accordingly.  The direction you choose today will determine where you will be tomorrow, next month or next year at this time.  If you are off course just a little bit, the result is magnified by time.

We need to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.  We must direct our lives toward Him, He is the goal.  The result will be a growing in righteousness.  He will do amazing things with our lives if we allow it.  It's not too late, but we must know the time and redeem it wisely.

Just thinking.

Pastor Doug