Barbara E. Perkins
JESUS’
CRITICAL QUESTION TO US
In the
Gospel of Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV), the word of God says, (1) “Then He (Jesus) spoke
a parable to them, that men always ought
to pray and not lose heart, (2) saying:
“There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. (3)
Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice
for me from my adversary.’ (4) And he would not for a while; but afterward he
said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, (5) yet because
this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she
weary me.’ (6) Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. (7) And
shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He
bears long with them? (8) I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless,
when
the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
In verses
1-8 Jesus shares this parable about a widow who gets justice from an unjust
judge because the woman is continually troubling him for justice from her
adversary. This widow was persistent and
she got her needs meet. We see, in
verses 7-8, that our just God is in no way like the unjust judge. God will quickly defend and avenge His people
(those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord), who cry out to Him
day and night. However, we must pray to our
loving God and not lose heart because He is merciful and can be trusted with
all that concerns us.
In the last
sentence of verse 8, Jesus poses this critical question to us: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,
will He really find faith on the earth?”
When Jesus Christ returns to earth for God’s people, will He really find us faithful and persistent
in our prayer life? I remember a
Scripture where He said pray that you enter not into temptation. When Jesus returns will He find us faithful
in reading and studying His word? The
word of God says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We need to be sure that
what someone is telling us is the word of God and not that person’s traditional
views. This is vital to us understanding
God’s word. When traditional views
contradict God’s word, they can diminish our faith. God also said to meditate His word day and
night, to observe to do according to all that is written in it. So when Jesus returns, will He find faith on
earth? What is faith??? “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is simply trusting God—believing Him
and acting on His word. “But without
faith, it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”
(Hebrews 11:6).
The word of
God said, “Jesus is coming back for a Church without spot or wrinkle.” God also said in His word, “Be holy because I
(Your God) AM Holy.” In other words, be
set apart for God and away from the world and its unhealthy habits. There should be somethings you just will not
do because you don’t want to sin against God and Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the price for us with His precious
blood—with His life. That should mean something
to us.
When Jesus
Christ returns to earth, will He find us doing what God told us to do in His
word? Will we be living like we belong
to Jesus Christ? Or, will Jesus find us
doing our own thing and acting like it’s okay??? Much like the days of Noah when the ungodly
were doing their own thing, refusing to obey God’s commands, and finally
rejecting a chance to enter Noah’s ark of salvation from the floods. This resulted in God shutting the door of the
ark and it set sail. All those outside
the ark of God’s protection drowned. God’s word said, “The wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Will Jesus find us showing lovingkindness to
one another when He returns, or will He find us walking in pride and
unforgiveness? Unfortunately, these last
two are prevalent in the Church.
Jesus
Christ is coming back soon!!! The word
of God said, He is coming back, like a thief in the night, swiftly and
unexpected. Which means we have to be
ready each day for His return. When
Jesus comes back, we can’t say, “Jesus, wait, I’m not ready! I need more time!” Oh no, then it’s too late for you and
me! 1 John
2
1:8-9 is
available right now! “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” The word of God is
a cleansing agent that can remove any spots or wrinkles from our lives.
Lord Jesus,
Help us to live our lives like we know that You are coming back for us. Help us to be consistent in our Christian
walk. Help us to be willing to tell
others about You, Lord Jesus, in the pardoning of our sins and about salvation.
People, Jesus
Christ is coming back for His Church. Don’t
let Him find us sleeping on the job! We
have to be persistent in our prayer life, as well as reading and meditating
God’s word daily, so that we will not enter into temptation, but into eternal
life. God is good and so is Jesus
Christ! Let’s strive to please them! Let’s make sure that Jesus Christ finds us
FAITHFUL when He returns!!! Amen!
Praise God
for His wonderful word!
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