4/13/29 Gui (see HERE)
Scoffers have long mocked Christians in our belief that “the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night”. It can be hard to imagine anything that could sweep the whole world out from under our feet, but our current crisis with Covid 19 gives us a little taste of what that might be like.
The Bible says “While they are saying, “Peace and safety!”
then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman
with child, and they will not escape.” It
can be easy for us to get caught up in a general panic that craves security,
even in something so menial as a month’s supply of toilet paper!
But believers need not find panic, for we are reminded by
Jesus’ life and teaching that God knows what we need before we even ask, that His
eye is on the sparrow and that He cares for His children; we are reminded by
Jesus’ death and resurrection that death has lost it’s sting, that there is
victory beyond the grave. We don’t have
to be victims of circumstances in this world, but more than conquerors in
whatever situation we find ourselves, for God is with us.
The “thief in the night” warning in Thes.5 is followed by
great encouragement for those of us who are believers: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that
the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons
of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others
do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at
night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day,
let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a
helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that
whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”
We can be greatly encouraged by God’s promises even in the
midst of trials, and that passage from Thes. 5 concludes by reminding us to be
an encouragement to others: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one
another, just as you also are doing.”
I’m encouraged by all the creative ways in which humanity in
general and Christians in particular are being an encouragement to one another. I want to continue to remind others that we
can even still bring the Gospel to unbelievers and encouragement to believers
on the streets and in the marketplace, as I did while grocery shopping in a conversation
with a very new believer named Gui, from Brazil. We kept a safe social distance, but both of
us left the conversation much more encouraged than if we had just kept our
faith to ourselves.
While I believe life will go on after this current crisis,
it’s still just as true that the “day of the Lord” has never been closer, and
we continue to have every reason to share this fact, both as a warning and as a
word of encouragement, to those God has placed around us, even when we are out
stocking up on groceries.
Thanks, Gui, for an encouraging conversation! It can be seen on my YouTube channel HERE at https://youtu.be/ULUJB30BXhw
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