Free Bible Devotions: Countdown - James 5:8

James 5:8       You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 

Sometimes I wonder what James might have written if he had known that after almost 2000 years, we’re still waiting for the Lord to return? Would he have changed the urgency of his message? Would he have not mentioned it? Or would he have not bothered to write anything at all?

It’s a dilemma that Christians in the 21^st century of our faith have to wrestle with. It’s a question that makes some church people uneasy, because of the apparent delay. Surely God would have allowed Christ to return before now, so what’s keeping Him from ending Time? Is there still something that needs to be done? Are there still people and places on this planet that need to be saved?

Maybe we’re thinking in temporal terms instead of eternal ones. Years, centuries, and millennia may have passed since Christ was born into the world, but that’s not even the blink of an eye in eternal terms. Millions and billions of years may pass before Christ returns; humanity may colonize the Solar System and travel to other galaxies before Jesus makes His long heralded appearance, but in the eternal scheme of things that would not even be a blip on the cosmic screen. After all, if Eternity is eternal, then millions of billions of zillions of years could pass by and there would still be an infinite amount of years to be with God. I think this is summed up best in the old hymn ‘Amazing Grace:’

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

So, is the Lord’s Return near? Well, it’s certainly two thousand years nearer than when James wrote his letter. It will also take place for each one of us the second after we die, so I guess it’s only a lifetime away for all of us. In that sense then, James’ words are highly relevant to every individual on this planet who lives today. Within 120 years, we will all be dead, so for this current generation of people, including the babies who have just been born as we are actually reading this, the countdown to Christ’s Return has already begun.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, whether Your Return to Earth is five seconds away or five million years from now, the truth of the matter is this: we need to be ready. We will either fall at Your feet on Earth in our lifetime, or we will come face-to-face with You the split-second after we die. Help us to be patient and to carefully prepare our hearts and minds, bodies and souls for that sacred moment in Time or in Eternity. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly wait and patiently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s digital glass pictures of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven. It’s a simple drawing, essentially depicted to help children imagine the process. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click the following link:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3551992426_68ddc730b0_b.jpg

Free Devotions: Happening Now - Mark 13 v 8

Mark 13:8       Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

We had an earthquake about 20 miles away from Knoxville this morning. I think it registered about 3.3 on the Richter scale, so there wasn’t really any damage although some people at the epicenter were a bit shook up with the noise. East Tennessee gets about 10 small earthquakes each year, but they are hardly noticeable to the population. I guess we forget that we live right next to the Smoky Mountains, which were created by earthquakes millions of years ago.

There’s seems to be a lot of turmoil in the world right now: the Icelandic volcano, the Chinese earthquake, and wars in various places. You can’t help but feeling that we’re on the threshold of something big, new, and mysterious. Jesus did warn us long ago that these were the signs of His imminent Arrival. Perhaps we’ve grown so used to being without His physical presence and living our lives in our own fashion that we’ve put the thought of His Second Coming to the back of our minds.

Maybe it’s the caffeine in my system right now, but I get this uneasy feeling that we should be preparing for something, after all today could be the beginning of the End.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to use this day as a means of getting our hearts and minds, our lives and souls in touch and attached to You. Remind us that life is fleeting and that we are given the blessing of everlasting life through You alone. Show us that each day is a gift of grace and a time to prepare for Your Return. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.