The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.-1 Peter 4:7

We need to be aware of the second coming and live lives of “sound judgment and sober spirit?” because the second coming of Christ is the single most powerful motivation for Christian living. But why does God not tell us when He is coming? God wants us to live expectantly always ready for Christ’s return.

Everyone will die but nobody knows when. If we believe we will be in the presence of God within six months, how will that thought impact our lives? When we face the reality of meeting the Lord, will we not begin to see things differently? If we expect to see God very soon, doing nothing about it is tantamount to not believing at all.

God is telling us that the end of all things is at hand. Examine your relationship with the Lord, with one another, and your service to one another. Do you have a right relationship with God? Is your prayer life a declaration of dependence and trust in the Lord? What about your relationship with other people? Have you chosen to love and forgive especially those who are imperfect and unlovable? Are you living a life in service to God and to others? Are you using your special God-given gifts to help one another?

It is not too late to appreciate the reality that sooner or later we will see God. Therefore it is important to reconcile the reality of Christ’s second coming with the certainty that we will have to give Him an accounting of our lives. In prepping for the end, it would be wise and prudent to always be ready.

Behold he comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call
So lift your voice, It’s the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes.

-Robin Mark

*This Devotional was taken from Ptr. Peter Tan-chi’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last August 29, 2004