“Then He told them a parable: ‘Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near’” (Luke 21:29-31).

Though we don’t know the exact date for our Lord’s return, the above passage reveals that we do have the capacity to recognize the season. Many of us believe that the season is upon us; the time is ripe. And while it is true that God alone holds the eternal clock, from the perspective of our earthbound stay, time is a dwindling resource we are here to steward. No small responsibility, that—given that one’s trajectory for all eternity is worked out among the beats of here and now.

How tragic then, all the more, that the sign of the times we live in is mostly marked by distracted mankind running after pseudo-pleasures, or worse, trudging head-down in an apathetic stupor. In either case, the unbelievers among us are coming up for self-serving air only long enough to harrumph at such eternal things as “loving God fully” and “loving others as ourselves” (Mt 22:34-40). It seems godless men, full of pains and problems, prefer to shield their eyes from the eternal losses of their temporal pursuits. In other words, they willfully reap their own undoing.

It’s not as if I’m unsympathetic. I too was an unbeliever, and still have my share of pains and problems. But my expectations for a future resolution are different now that I know Jesus. That’s why I prefer to keep my eyes wide open as I look squarely at these times we live in, and why I can’t help but hope for His return soon. I have a running dialogue in my head for the purpose: “Now would be a good time, Lord; or whenever you say.”

What I’m getting at is this: You and I, friend, were created for the better days to come.

To be continued…

Kevin Murray
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