“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
The day of the Lord
”Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near” Zephaniah 1:7 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” 2 Peter 3:10I am sure that you believe that the day of the Lord is coming but are you positively waiting for it. John Calvin said, “In our impatience we snatch at the day of Christ as something expected imminently, but in our carelessness we push it far off”.
We must not be like a 1500 metres runner, sitting in the pack expecting the real race to start with 300 to go, who is caught by a break 500 metres out.
Zephaniah reminded his readers, who were looking forward to the day of the Lord when their enemies would get their come-uppance, that the day of the Lord might, in fact, bring judgement for them and blessings for people they did not approve of. Like the dream of heaven in Tom Brown’s Schooldays where the dreamer is surprised to see who is in heaven and who is not!
Waiting for the day of the Lord is a bit like waiting for the final whistle – it should affect our attitude but not dominate it. With Manchester United leading Manchester City 3-2 (September 2009) with the final whistle imminent, Rio Ferdinard might have been wise to kick the ball over the stand – rather than trying the clever pass which was intercepted and led to the equalizer. But had Michael Owen settled for the draw, he would not have been ready to get the winner a few minutes later.
We need in our lives and ministry to balance being ready for the day of the Lord while remaining engaged in the work of the kingdom.
(Partly based on Tim Meadowcroft, Scripture Union, Encounter with God)