Satan knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12). He gets more desperate each passing day. It’s one reason this world continues to fall ever deeper into evil and depravity. In the midst of the chaos, it’s easy to become discouraged. We wonder if things will ever get better. Some even question where God is in the midst of all this.
Followers of Jesus should, while fighting against the dark forces prevalent in our world today, also be encouraged. If Satan knows his time is short, it means ours is too. The difference is our time ends in victory, while the devil’s dissolves into defeat. If Satan’s time is short, then Christ’s return is near.
I talk a lot on this blog about how fleeting time is. The reason is I believe very few – including myself – internalize this fact on a daily basis. Intellectually, we know time is short. We understand how finite time is. But few live as if they believe it to be true. The older I get, the harder the reality of time hits me. By most accounts, I’ve got less time ahead of me than I do behind. Put simply, I’m running out of time. Soon, I’ll meet Jesus. As sweet as such an incredible thought is, the flip side is I’ll no longer have the opportunity to tell others about Him. I’ll have lost what platform I have to encourage fellow believers to live out their faith as Christ called us to do. My time is short.
Our mission is to build the Kingdom of God here on earth. How would you say we’re doing? Better still, how much effort would you say you are actually putting into the process? If you were going on vacation next week and had not yet made any plans, your time for planning would be short. You’d focus an incredible amount of energy on getting things squared away. Every waking moment, you’d have an eye on what needed to get done to make the vacation happen. Why is it we never put such focus and devotion into building the Kingdom of God? We know our time is short and we have an incredible amount of work to do. Why aren’t we doing it?
Barring unforeseen circumstances, my death is not imminent. But my time is short and so is yours. As amazing as it will be to see Jesus face to face, we must also understand He will ask us how we spent our time on earth. He’ll want to know what we did for Him with the gifts He entrusted to our use and care. What will our response be? We still have time to alter the script into one of which we’ll be proud, but time is short. What will you do today to begin making the most of the time remaining for you? Will you spend your day the same way you always have? Will you continue to live selfishly only for your own comfort, security, and pleasure? Or will you begin to rewrite your script, to engage fully with the work He has given you to do? Will you finally put God first, others next, and yourself last? You have time, but time is short.