The Churches are Asleep

The great preacher D. L. Moody used to say, “The churches are asleep and I know of no better way of awakening them than to get them to look for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.” In Today’s Verse Jesus tries to stir us up, to motivate us by drawing our minds to the most awesome event in this world’s future: His imminent return!

 Answer me this: How do you live your daily life? Do you anticipate He will come before your life ends (perhaps even sixty seconds from now) or that He will not come for many centuries? It is easy to become seduced by our world into living for self and pleasure rather than living with Christ’s mission in focus. Jesus shouts to us, “Don’t lose sight of what I would have you to be and do! Engage in MY business until I come back. The night is coming when it will be too late to work; work while the sun shines!”

The Bible cautions us that all of our worldly money, worldly trophies and worldly goals will suddenly be left behind in a world which will someday be caused to dissolve, totally disappear when God unloosens the elements and “all the universe shall melt with a fervent heat.” No wonder then that Peter says, “seeing that everything around us will someday be dissolved, what manner of Christians ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness?”

Oh, we must get “to the work, there is labor for all; For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall; And the love of our Father exalted shall be, In the loud-swelling chorus, ‘Salvation is free!’ Let us hope, let us watch, and labor till the Master comes!”

In the days before Connecticut became a state, an incident took place which became known as the “DARK DAY.” Suddenly thick darkness blotted out the sunlight. The legislature was in session at the time; some of the members said the day of judgment had finally come.

 The cry went out, “It is the day of judgment. Let us go home and get ready.”

 But an old church deacon stood and said, “Men, it may indeed be the day of judgment but when the Lord comes I want Him to find me at my post, doing my duty up to the very last moment. Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, move that candles be brought in and that we get on with the business of the colony.”

 …seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, let us, therefore, get on with the business of heaven–with the business of the eternal.

Tom Swartzwelder was born again at the age of nine in an old-fashioned revival meeting. Tom received his B.A. from Tennessee Temple University and his M. Div from Luther Rice Seminary. He

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