Be Alert!

Posted by Jay Overstreet on May 13, 2011 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

Last weekend I was able to play one of five or so rounds of golf that I am able to play each year in this season of life. It was a truly perfect day in the north Georgia mountains. The temperature was in the mid 60s and there was not a cloud in the sky. At one point I was on a hole looking for a sprinkler head to show me how far it was to the green (not that knowing makes a huge difference in my shots, but I try). I scoured the area around my ball for a couple of minutes with no result, and then stepping away realized I had been literally standing on the bright red 100-yard marker (not a sprinkler head but gives you the same information you need). I laughed at myself for more than a few seconds. Completely missed that. Never even saw it coming – and apparently wasn’t even looking when I walked to my ball.

There are three types of “Be alert!” passages in the bible that come to mind for me, and the first two are different from the third because it’s easy to be more self-focused when reading them. The first type says be alert because you never know how God might speak to you, and it could be in the most unexpected way, as shown in 1 Kings 19:11-13. The second type says be alert because if you follow Jesus you are most likely under some kind of spiritual attack, as shown in 1 Peter 5:8. The third, however, says be alert because you don’t know when Jesus will return, as shown in 1 Peter 4:7. Take a few minutes to think about that.

In a meeting over the last couple of months, a group of us were talking about the difference it would make in our lives if we lived every day with full heart knowledge that Jesus could come back today, or tomorrow, or next week. How different might our lives be? Our relationships? Our priorities? How we treat others? How different might the church be? There are many places in the new testament where scripture clearly states that time could be very, very soon. What difference would/does it make in your life?