Daily Devotional for Friday December 31, 1999

Christ?s Return

(Matthew 24:36; Psalms 90:4)

Personally, I will be glad when tonight is over, the year 2000 is here, and the incredible hype is behind us. As one who loves the Scriptures, I have actually found it amusing as I watched the doom and gloomers manipulating people with their Y2K scenarios. It is actually disgusting to watch many fine men and women of God utilize the fear many have surrounding this date to profit from a nonevent. I will not argue that man?s invention of the computer has a very real problem with the change from 1999 to 2000. But to take this problem and extrapolate it into the natural fear many have, and then play on that fear to make money is very distasteful. I came to a scriptural stance on this issue a long time ago and frankly have not even paid much attention since. The scriptures teach that God is not bound by the time limitations we use to guide our lives. We have manufactured a system to track time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. God didn?t manufacture that system...man did. So, right off the bat, you have got to understand that anything we deal with in relation to time cannot even be factored in when dealing with God. That is why we so urgently need this or that prayer answered within a certain time period. If it?s not, it seems like God has ignored us or not heard. What you must understand is that God is not bound by our man-made way of tracking time. Is He sensitive to the need? Yes. Is He aware of the urgency? Yes. But God?s timing is not our timing.

In dealing with the return of Christ and end times, again, the Bible is perfectly clear. It is not even a debatable issue. Jesus emphatically stated that ONLY God knew the date and time. Personally, trying to look thru the Word for clues is an interesting exercise, but really pointless. Instead, I have always tried to learn the lesson Christ taught over and over and God allowed to be recorded many times for emphasis. Don?t worry about when He will return. Understand it is an event that will happen, and it will happen at a time only God knows. Our job clearly is to be ready for that event. How? By living for Him each day. By serving Him each day. By living every hour like it may be the last before His return. That is what Jesus tried to teach in His earthly ministry. Be prepared. Be prepared by serving God, so when He does return, you will be found faithful.

Other than marking the new year in our man-made way of tracking time, today is another day, a day like every other that should find us faithful to our relationship with the Lord, faithful in our service to Him. I pray that you will have a safe and blessed day and night. Be safe, fear not, because God is on the throne and in control, and above all, make sure that when that incredible moment of Christ?s return does come, you are found faithful in your service to Him.