The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
It’s a strange conflict we humans live out – we all know that everything will die but we live as though we will never die. As though the ones we love will never perish. As Christians, when we don’t acknowledge this full truth, we can trick ourselves into thinking we have time to finally obey God or to have that salvation talk with our son or daughter.
Having recently completed a study on Revelation it’s become clearer to me how I am living that half-truth. I have people in my life that I really want to be with in eternity. People that I love and don’t want them to be prey to Babylon’s vices.
I’m praising God today for time and for our continuance of living in the age of Grace. I heard the evangelist Joyce Meyer say on a number of occasions that we don’t know when the events recorded in Revelation will take place but we are certainly one more day closer. And once those events unfold the Age of Grace will become the Age of Judgment.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17
The study of Revelation was difficult to hear at times. Until you get to the last couple of chapters. Then you see the overwhelming beauty of the new Eden unfold. And you can’t help but say “I want that. I want that for myself and the ones I love!” You certainly don’t want what takes place in the previous chapters! Even in those chapters, fraught with despair and destruction however, God adds His Holy pauses. He gives us more chances to turn to him. He gives us more time, more grace. More than what any of us deserve.
I’ve read that God will only prolong our trials until we finally “get it.” Until we finally just trust Him and obey. It’s like He really doesn’t want to pull the final trigger. The door is ever so slowly closing while He beckons more of us in. But it is closing to be sure.
Until that door is closed and we are gathered up into the heavens, into the new Eden, I want to use this God-given time wisely. I want to take advantage of this Age of Grace and help squeeze the people I love through that door.
emboldened.net 