Matthew 24:40-42 (NKJV)
“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
Have you ever laid awake at night wandering what you may be doing fifteen years or even twenty from now? How about attending a leadership training were the first question they ask is to write down where you want to be in your career? Maybe you are having a conversation with your boss, and he tells you that there are rumors your office may be closing next year?
There are so many considerations when you look at the future, especially since everyone’s circumstances are different. Some situations that we face may be changing moment by moment and could be described as fluid. Trying to track where the outcomes are taking you can be like watching the leader board at a stock car race.
But it does not matter if you are at a stable point in your life with no life altering decisions to be made or the world is seemingly spinning out of control, the future is always there. Some of the biggest decisions we have to make about our future is how we interact with it. Some people sit back and just let it happen while others look at it as a constant battle that never ends.
Most of us are somewhere in between this spectrum where we may be trying to plan or even work toward certain goals. Let us pause a brief moment to consider some of the answers that may have come to mind with the first few questions. I know again we will have a wide range of answers from bright to downright depressing.
Now let’s take the focus off ourselves and our situations to look from a different perspective. Your journey through life could end today and all that worry and anxiety that you are putting yourself through would be over. Even with everything coming to a conclusion many of us would be yelling for me to hold on because there was so much more you wanted to do.
I used to be one of those people who would try to meticulously plan for even the soccer game I was going to watch my son in and get upset because I forgot my chair and had to sit in the stands. Letting the little things that went wrong in life bother me was like a second job that I embraced like a cobra clutch.
It was not until I rededicated my life back to Christ did I see another alternative this mindset. One night of sincere spirit filled change lifted the veil of darkness I had draped over my life. Everything looked different, but it was also like walking out of the forest into a bright sunlit meadow. I had to squint and partially cover my eyes until they adjusted to this glorious sight.
Many people I talked to have had similar experiences and looking toward the future has a different meaning now. Once you have accepted Christ into your heart and the Spirit enters your life there are fewer questions about the here and now because you know where you are going once you leave this life. We get to be with God in heaven.
Jesus gave us a glimpse in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Your concerns turn from what color to repaint the walls in your house now to trying to picture what your home will be like once you go to the Father. Scripture is filled with earthly descriptions, but I am convinced that our human minds cannot comprehend the magnitude of what we will see. Not just the place, but who we will get to see again once we are there.
No matter where you are in your walk with Christ we should become better acquainted with God’s instruction manual. It contains the wisdom of ages on how we should live and interact with each other. I’ve had many conversations where people get more worried about the end as predicted in Revelations than enjoying their journey with Christ.
If we are believers, then we already know we have an eternal life with God. It’s like knowing you’re going to win the championship even before the first game of the season is played. Christ is our coach and His word is the playbook, so read and study His winning game plan. Our mind should be as in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Rather than anxiety and depression, we can have these promised thoughts of peace and a future of hope. If you still are unsure of how you get there then listen to the words of wisdom in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”
It’s our heart where the change begins and affects all that we do in life. Once we have accepted Christ into our hearts His Spirit can shine forth for all to see. His peace in your life will be evident and the hope you see in the future will be heard in the words that you speak.
Winning football teams spend countless hours studying their gameplan everyday during the season. So, join me in studying the worlds oldest and most successful gameplan, the God-breathed words of our creator. As you enjoy His promises you read, also enjoy, “Find The Answers That You Need.”
FIND THE ANSWERS THAT YOU NEED
The coach is always barking orders trying to tell us how to play,
Then words filled with anger erupt when things don’t go his way.
It is always someone else’s fault and not the way that we are led,
We’re supposed to know what he’s meaning, not listen to what he said.
People tell us what to do and signs point where we should go,
From books to all the videos filled with things they want us to know.
With everything that we find around us telling us what to do,
Lord, even if it’s in writing how do we know if it’s really true?
My child, the directions in life can come from countless sources,
You must figure out which are good and not lead to obstacle courses.
Many events have been laid out since the beginning of time,
In my Word you find the outline of which designs are mine.
The journey you find within the pages is inside yourself as well,
With choices leading to certain outcomes that you could foretell.
So read with a faithful heart to discover where my path can lead,
Along the way you will also find those answers that you need.
Simple Faith Christian
Copyright 2021
Simple Faith Christian 