Advancing the Day of God

God, our heavenly Father, alone knows when the Day of Judgement will be (Matt. 24:36). Yet there are fascinating examples in Scripture that should stir our hearts to a greater intensity in the work of His kingdom, as when Peter warns believers to lives of renewed purpose: "You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11-12, NIV; other translations read “hastening that day”).

Billy Graham said that we should plan as if Jesus wasn’t returning for a thousand years, but we should live as if He is coming back tomorrow. Such a perspective has been helpful in my own thinking. We are living on borrowed time. Starting with verse 11, Peter wrote that we should lead holy and godly lives in anticipation of the day of God’s judgement which will come with massive and catastrophic destruction. What does this mean for us today?

• We ought to lead holy and godly lives, continually setting aside every kind of sinful or immoral lifestyle. It is not a question of what we do with our bodies, or our behaviour; it is a question of what kind of people we should be.
• Live with the mindset that the Lord will return soon and, with Him, judgement. Knowing this is true should change how we choose to live now. When we began our relationship with Jesus, our minds filled with fascination and possibility. Later, our energies shifted to the mundane and routine. Yet even that can be revived by seeing every day as potentially our last one. How can we recover the initial spark and wonder alive and directed? Setting our priorities in light of this is clear: We need fresh passion and determination in doing our Master’s business. 
• The Church should quicken its effort to bring in as many people as possible before that day of judgement. There is an urgency here. We don’t know when this will happen, but it could be soon. Even in our evangelism, we as a movement should not become unconcerned and think we have all the time we need in witnessing to people. This does not mean that we drop everything to wait until Christ returns. No, we should continue to work and plan as if He will not return immediately but live as if He is coming back at any time. 

We naturally tend to collect unnecessary things over time, whether furniture or opinions. These can weaken our effectiveness in the long term. Getting rid of stuff might seem symbolic, but even so we need to be reminded of our commitment as soldiers and athletes for Jesus to keep our lives in shape for a purpose. 
 

More than appearances

OM’s early call to let go of stuff wasn’t about possessions but a readiness to let go of our careers, our future, and our status. We should encourage one another to make sure what is or could be of eternal value and distance ourselves from all else, storing up treasures in heaven as Jesus told us to do (Matt. 6:19–20). We do this by investing what we have been given to further God’s kingdom, especially among the least reached. 
 
Master the art of a simple lifestyle. There is always a simpler way to do things. Good leaders can take complex situations and transform them into simpler solutions. I long to see more of this! 
 
Let us find again that first love of all things – Jesus, including the possibility of Him coming back very soon? Doing so will bring the fresh joy and focus that we desperately need.