Our best days are ahead and incredible things are coming!
I don’t know about you, but it seems as if life is in a bit of an uproar right now. I barely look at the news and all I see is conflict, unrest, and division. Praise God for the Bible and His direction and peace!
Even talking to friends and coworkers, it would seem there is a strain on life right now. Election year is tense, funds are tighter than we’ve ever known them to be, there seems to be more conflict and higher taxes around every corner.
And yet, amidst all this, we have God. A merciful, loving, generous God! Because of God, we can take this conflict and uncertainty and give it to Him, confident that He will make a way for His people as He always has!
The End Is Better than the Beginning
Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. – Ecclesiastes 7:8
I remember reading this verse ages ago and being amazed! Finishing is better than starting? I find that intriguing! Starting sewing or painting projects is one of my favorite things to do, but finishing takes self discipline and determination.
And as time went on and I’ve recalled this verse, I begin to get it. The success of finishing a project is exciting! The satisfaction of a job done well is energizing!
But this verses goes so much further and deeper than simple home projects. Think about it on the terms of what you are facing right now. Work projects, school assignments, important relationships, etc. Dedicate your work to God and then stay faithful. Work hard, take the time, commit to giving it your best. Just because it is hard doesn’t mean it isn’t good!
I really think the same applies to the fight for the foundations of this country. I think that’s why we are so weary. The fight is long and hard, but it is a noble fight – truly, for God and country! And I’m certain that this verse applies here: finishing – sticking to God’s morals and laws – is better than starting. The result and conclusion that we will see when God wins this war against evil will make all the trials and struggles worthwhile! It is always worth it to do the right thing!
Encourage Yourself in the Lord
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12
The battle we face isn’t an obvious one. Though through the news and media we can see some of the evil going on, it seems that the enemy is also attacking us on an unseen level too. I don’t say this to discourage you, but rather to encourage you to arm yourself in the Lord! There is a reason Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God:
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” – Ephesians 6:13
Particularly notice the end of that verse: after the battle you will be standing firm. The end (the victory) is better than the beginning (the battle). Our best days are ahead! Encourage yourself in the Lord and in His mighty power. Draw your confidence from God and you’ll never run out.
The End of the Illusion
I saw an interesting graphic the other day that I thought was pretty spot on. It was a man and a woman and the woman is saying, “it’s the end times“, to which the man responds, “no, it’s the end of the illusion“. I couldn’t help but think that was pretty spot on. True, no man knows the hour of the end times, but seeing as it’s such a popular notion, I don’t think that’s what we are looking at.
I rather think perhaps Christians have been fed a distraction. If they are convinced that Christ is coming back at any moment, they don’t need to stand up and fight the evil rulers and agendas, right?
But let me remind you, we aren’t called to put on the armor of God and fight – but only if Christ isn’t about to come. Or to stand up and resist the enemy, but only if Christ isn’t coming soon. No, rather, we as Christians should want to be found fighting the evil, standing up for and insisting on God’s Law to be upheld, and holding the highest standard we can muster, so that when Christ comes, He might say well done, good and faithful servant!
C.S. Lewis said it very well back in the 1940s:
“In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.’
In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.
This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”
Our Best Days are Ahead
Exchange atomic bombs for nuclear bombs, covid, or any other concern that tries to dominate the news media. This is so incredibly applicable and such an excellent reminder to not let the fear of something or the expectation of Christ’s return keep us from doing the duty that we are created and called to do!
So hold yourself a little taller, walk a bit more confidently, and pursue the path that God directs you towards with energy and enthusiasm! We are not to have a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline!
Our best days are ahead and I can not wait to see what they bring! After all, the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/