4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
The clear message of the New Testament is that the second coming of Jesus will not be a surprise to Christians. It will not be a surprise to us because we are anticipating and looking for it. It will be a surprise to those who don’t expect it and who are then obviously not looking for it. For the Jesus-follower, our lives are to be lived in anticipation of that day. We are to be ready for that day every day. And if we are ready and waiting, it will not be a surprise to us. There are things that will happen, things that will let us know that the time is drawing near. As the world becomes more chaotic, we can experience the peace that Jesus gives. We don’t have to get frenetic in anticipation of the upcoming election. We need to vote, but we don’t need to fear. We need to be ready for His return every day. If we are ready, then we will not be surprised by His coming. This means that our lives need to be lives lived in a state of self-examination. We need to look at our lives and choose to put aside those things that don’t fit with a life lived in close proximity to the Holy God. Things that offend Him need to be eliminated. That is what sanctification is about. When we take off the old man with those habits and desires, we are getting ready, being prepared for His coming. The challenge for us is the same at the challenge Paul has for the Thessalonians. There were voices in their day that tried to distract them from the pure message, to get them looking at circumstances instead of looking at Jesus. Those voices exist today. They are trying to get us to focus on the problems instead of on Jesus who is the solution. There will be opportunities today for you to listen to those voices of distraction. Your task is to hear the voice of Jesus above the clatter. That can be difficult because His voice is a whisper. That is one of the reasons we must pull aside, spend time in the quiet of His throne room, sitting at the feet of Jesus. In our lives filled with “things” and “events” it can be hard to pull aside. But if we don’t learn to hear that whisper now, we will miss the trumpet call on that last day. Lean in close. Listen for the wisp of His breath. The more time listening to that gentle voice the less the shoutings of manic hysteria and panic will matter. You will have heard the voice of God. Nothing else matters.
The Arnold Journey 