2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."
Like so many things in life, understanding the coming of the Lord is all about balance. Other places in Scripture, we are told that He is coming soon. However, here Paul seems to say something different. What gives?
Think about it this way - if you believe that literally within the next few minutes, Christ would return and take you to Heaven to be with Him for eternity, how much motivation would you have for pursuing any long-term projects or any audacious undertakings? Not very much.
Or on the other hand, if you believe that Christ's return is a long ways off and we have plenty of time, how much urgency would you feel? Not very much.
This balance between motivation and urgency is what we are looking at here. Jesus wants us to know that His return is imminent, meaning that it could happen at any time - in the next second or in the next millennium. The timing is not what is important. What is important is how our belief about His return moves us to action. He will come like a thief in the night, no one knows the day or the hour. For these reasons, we ought to live with an urgency of action while at the same time not neglecting long-term projects that God calls us to.
How do you feel about Christ's return? Is the urgency stealing your motivation? Or visa versa? How can you re-balance your perspective today?
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