Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Advent - December 13


Psalm 45, 47, 48

Zechariah 2:1-13

Revelation 3:14-22

Matthew 24:32-44

Warnings come throughout the Bible covering almost every aspect of our behavior. Today’s passages give us some cautions about our daily conduct in anticipation of the time when Christ returns. The Matthew and Revelation passages do not give explicit guides as to things we should be doing other than that we should maintain our fervent work on behalf of the Kingdom so that we are ready at that time.

The Matthew passage mentions normal life continuing until the instant that Christ returns while the oft quoted passage from Revelation warns about being too normal and comfortable with everyday life. What is the difference between the passages that in one normal is right and the other normal is wrong?

The difference comes with what we do on a day to day basis. Jesus does not need to give a list of things he wants us to do at this point in his ministry: he spent his entire ministry giving those directions. In all that we do, in our daily actions, he expects us to further his kingdom. That is why in the description one is taken and one remains. The one who continued doing ministry in their live is the one taken.

And that is the difference between living our normal lives and being too comfortable in the normal life. The church at Laodicea became comfortable in themselves, but did nothing to advance the ministry of the Church. They did not forget God but did not continue his work: they simply became comfortable in their own salvation. Every day opportunities come about for us to live out faith and living it normally becomes a powerful force for change and the ministry furthering Christ’s church today.

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