Saturday, September 9, 2017

End Times? Maybe?

As I write this, hurricane Irma is bearing down on the Florida coast.

As I write this many vicious fires burn all across the Northwest part of America.

As I write this, thousands grieve over the many lost to a great earthquake in Mexico yesterday.

So too, a great many are trying to pick up the pieces of their devastated lives in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey.

And, as I ponder the burdens for those hurting souls across our globe, personal burdens included, I hear echoing in my head the words of several people over the last few days… “I think that we must be in the “end times”.”

For those of you are not familiar with Biblical prophecy, etc., this may only make some sense.

Anything I write here on this subject is either somewhat hypothetical or at very least an amateur attempt to discuss end times philosophies or beliefs. And, really, in the end I have no desire to win you over if you’re skeptical, atheist, or any form of unbeliever.

Faith is not something that I can give you after all.

Only God can light that spark in your soul.

And, only you can exercise faith. It belongs exclusively to you and nobody can gift it to you.

Let me throw just the tiniest bit of context at you so that you can process what I’m leading you towards.

I firmly believe the Bible. I firmly believe in God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), you know, the God of the Jews. I believe in God’s one and only son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I believe that Jesus, though He was/ and is fully God, came to Earth as a man, lived among us, experienced all that we experience, told us of God’s great love for His lost creation (humankind), and ultimately bore the burden of all our sins (mine included) on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago, died on that cross, more importantly: rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven to rule at God’s right hand.

And, I know that one day, Jesus is coming back down to Earth, riding on the clouds, scooping up His bride, the Church taken up to be with Him in heaven.

He is also going to bring judgement to all humankind, both those alive at the time of His return and all of those who have died before, all of the way back to the beginning of our race.

That said. Are we living in the end of days? Maybe… probably.

But.

What is so very important now, is that we do not lose our perspective.

We are only responsible. Ultimately. For our own actions and reactions to what circumstances surround us.

Are the hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, floods, etc. God’s judgement on us? Maybe… but let’s think this out. Even if this is God’s judgement, what is the most important thing in the midst of this?

How we react, how we act, how we respond to these crisis’s is all important.

Praying is certainly a good start. But, then we must act.

We live in a world that is brutally affected by the sins of us all. The world at large is impacted by the burden of ages old sins that cause even nature to groan under its burden.  

What I’m getting at is this: React how you will, but understand that God may be allowing the natural order of things to take their course so that we can be refined by the fires of great trials and come out as pure gold on the other side.

Many of us are praying for a great spiritual awakening, a healing of all of that divides us in this country, for forgiveness and reconciliation in powerful and long-lasting ways that binds our hearts with those that we currently don’t see eye to eye with.

Has any of us thought that these disasters might in and of themselves, be answers to our prayers?!

Maybe these trials have come now, so that we can be drawn together, fight for survival together, bind each other’s wounds together, pray for each other together, and live once again as brothers and sisters with vast differences, but a common Savior.

Let’s continue to do all we can to be a part of what is good and of Godly character in these troubled times. Let’s be the solution, not the stumbling block. Let’s love others as Christ first loved us. Let’s be Jesus hands and feet as we live out each day in these troubled times.

Praying in all sincerity for the millions of lives in Irma’s path tonight.

May God protect and keep you through the night and into a new day, full of hope and promise for the future. May we be unified by God’s love and grace.

Sincerely,


Mike Meehan <><