Just One More

Something to Think about 

Just One More

7 For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places.

Matthew 24:7

Matthew 24 deals with the end times. Jesus is describing some of the things that must happen before His return. When things such as earthquakes, pestilence wars occur. When people are fighting with one with the other, we take these occurrences as being signs of the end times. When we hear of such things the familiar refrain comes to the fore. "Jesus come quickly." I understand the rationale behind "Jesus come quickly." It is a cry for our salvation. To be delivered from the sin that assails us on every side. It is a request to do away with the evil one. To free us from His influence. It is a cry for peace and deliverance.

Then we have verses like these. So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Romans 2:6-8

The verses concerning the second coming of Christ are wonderful. I long for the day of His return, but, Romans 2: 6-8 haunts me.

The first part is easy , welcoming and hopeful. But the last part is the one that unsettles me, "there will be wrath and fury." Who are those who obey unrighteousness, who are those that will receive “wrath and fury.”

I don't pray "Jesus come quickly." I pray delay as long as possible 10,0000 years would not be too soon. Why do I say that? Who is the one that will receive "wrath and fury?" It will be my son, my daughter, my sister, my brother. It will be my mother, father, aunt, cousin, uncle, friend and neighbor.

In the movie, Schindler's List near the end of the movie Schindler is lamenting the Jews He did not save. He is despondent and questioning himself if I had done this or that I could have saved one-two, possibly three more.

In Revelation 21:4 it says, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

If we are in heaven why would there be tears? Why would God have to wipe our tears away? Could it be because we are regretful of those we did not reach those that were left behind? Those brothers, sisters, mother, father, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbors that were left to receive the "wrath and fury" of God.

When we get to heaven will we lament the lives we did not touch the ones we did not reach? How will we handle the reality of knowing we could have done more. We could have reached out to more.

Today we need to be more conscious of one more. We need to stop praying Jesus come quickly and we need to start praying Jesus give me one more, Just one more.