Did your team win? Did you enjoy any of the games? Did you even care? Were you hoping to be raptured before the games ended? With all of the backlash from the brother Joshua prophecies, the awarding of the cup to Spain by President Trump was a deal sealer on a failed prophecy for sure; but we’re still in this till we’re not. Some believers may not know what to do with all of that, but alas, the games are over and we’re still here. While I strongly urge you all to not set dates, I also challenge you to not throw proverbial stones that those who do. We are adults and can and will believe what we do, but we must not cast aspersions on our fellow saints who are just as eager to go home and be with the Lord as we are.
I am always a little disappointed when I awake each day and I am not in His likeness. That’s God’s way of telling me that He is not through with me yet; that I have a job to do still; that people are counting on me to be responsible in my skillset and to love like Jesus does. Sometimes believers forget how important we are to those whom God has entrusted into our care. Having the blues over another missed high watch is not who we’re called to be. We love the Lord and many of us are in love with Jesus; it’s no wonder we sorrow as we endure. It makes for some really powerful prayer time, devos, and quality conversations with the Father.
One thing is for sure, Jesus is coming for us. He said that He was. He even told us what the world conditions would be like when He returned. Clearly we are there now. Before brother Joshua even showed up, I didn’t know what the World Cup was. I thought it was a trophy for sail boat racers. One thing that I do know, we got though the last ten months with a sincere hope in the imminence of the Lord’s return. Those ten months are behind us now, and having a renewed hope can help us to continue to get through. I get that believers are tired and a lot of us have been weakened in the process; but we still put press on and up toward that high call of God in Christ Jesus. We need to do our best serve out our days with joy and gladness. I challenge you to be faithful to what God has called you to and to do it like it was your last day; because one day, it will be.
For me it’s a new job. For others, it may be a new mindset on life. Still others, it might be a new opportunity to serve the Lord and your family in an even better capacity. One thing I do know, as long as we’re still on the earth, the Great Restrainer is also working. He keeps evil at bay and holds things together in accordance to the Father’s will and mandate. We can see a lot of whether patters happening around the globe and the turmoil that they bring. We can also see the signs that God has given to us to keep our hope up and our faith pure. We need to lean into Jesus and trust Him as He carries us through. Remember, once were with Him, we will always be with Him. Our race will finally be over and we can enjoy the eternal fruit of our temporary labor. Some believers have it more difficult than others, but all of us have been given a measure of faith to keep on keeping on. World Cups will come and go, but we will always have Jesus.
If you’re hurting a bit today, can I encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. Stand on His Word and stay in fellowship with other believers. This is part of the ride as we continue serving the Lord. You should be a blessing to your local church and pastor. You should have a ministry that you’re good at, or at least learning to be good at. We need to see the world we live in as a continual opportunity to minister Christ to all who would receive Him as we have. It’s not so much what we do, but how we represent the Lord as we do it.
About six months ago I began doing a new spiritual life discipline where I copy and past a chapter from the Bible and ask twenty questions about that chapter. It’s actually 20 lines of questions that draw out from the text what is being said. I am about 80% finished with the NT and I have completed a few books in the OT. I see this as a lifelong project that I have incorporated into my spiritual life disciplines. I decided to remove other things from my life routine so that I could do this. I must say, it’s been an enjoyable experience.
I close with this. A few years ago a movie came out called Facing the Giants. It was a great movie. There’s a scene where one high school football player was carrying another on his back as he crawled down the field blindfolded. He wasn’t to stop until he made it into the end zone. That’s how I feel right now. I am the guy carrying the other guy on his back, blindfolded and pressing toward the endzone. We’re going to make it!
Suffice it to say, world cup or no world cup, prophecy or failed prophecy, Jesus is still coming for us. We need to be encouraged and not disappointed. The Lord is as faithful to us as His Word. We can trust in Him and rely on His promises. Man will fail, but Jesus never does. Please hang in and press on; we have just a little bit more to go to get into that end zone.
Maranatha!
Encourage Men 