Don’t Get Caught in a Time Crunch

Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. (Mark 13:32-33, Holman Christian Standard Bible)

I’m not easily stressed. But there is one thing that stresses me above all else and that is feeling like I’m running out of time and I still have so much yet to do before my time is up. Because I know this about myself I try to plan well and lay things out visually on a planner or calendar so I can see everything I need to do by certain dates. That helps me tremendously.

Concerning eternity, two things are certain: God will send Jesus back. Only we do not know when that will be. And before Jesus returns people will be dying daily, all the time. He will come and take believers home individually before everyone goes to their eternity collectively. So some of us will be around or that final day and some will be gone long before.

I can plan for a lot of things in life because I know the time and day but I cannot plan for this conclusion because I am not in control of these events. But because knowing where I will be in eternity is important to me I know I need to prepare now because I will not have time at the (surprise) end to do so.

God does not want us to come up short or run out of time. But he does not want us to be stressed about our eternity either so he tells us to get ready while we still can. The Father has envisioned an eternity with you. He has written your name in the Book of Life, not annals of death. He has plans to see you in his heavenly kingdom and enjoying the beautiful city he created just for that purpose. He is willing to walk with you, teach you, love and forgive you today so you don’t have to worry about the end of time and where you will go.

I cannot tell you when the end of time will be, and God will not tell you. All we can do is prepare right now by making Jesus a priority right now and determining to live a life of faith, staying close to the Lord so we are ready and not stressed. Let’s Pray

Dear God, thank you for doing everything needed so we can be with you in eternity and especially for sending Jesus, first, to die for our sins and save us, and second to stand with us before your throne at the very end. Help us to be faithful people and keep the faith till the very end so we do not have to worry about running out of time. Amen

Questions for Soul-Tending
Do you feel confident about going to heaven when earthly life is over or do you have even a tiny bit of doubt?
What, if anything, do you feel is needed to help you feel more confident and assured?
How will preparing for your eternity today help relieve stress later on?
Does thoughts about eternity add to your plan of soul-care?