Romans 13:11-12 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Believers have felt they were in the End Times ever since the 1^st Century, and since it’s now the 21^st, some people have ridiculed the whole idea. Such people forget that they themselves have a personal “expiration date,” and they don’t know when it will come up. Just last month there were two different incidents in this city of pedestrians being killed by cars when they were walking at dusk or after dark, and yesterday I was talking with someone who recently lost her mother, living in an entirely different place, that same way. And that doesn’t mention the countless other ways we might leave this life unexpectedly. It has rightly been said that life is a fatal condition! None of us can stop time, and it wouldn’t be good if we could. “Time in a Bottle” is a very moving, tender song, but it expresses emotion, not current reality. There are many things going on today, including social degradation and wars, that could well be fulfillments of prophecy, and many Christians are convinced that the Lord’s return will be within their natural lifespan. They could well be right, but even if they aren’t, no one reading this has more than 90 years left on this earth at the outside, and probably much less. At the very least, Paul is here cautioning us that our time isn’t unlimited, so don’t waste it. We are indeed to take appropriate rest, and failing to do so will shorten our healthy lifespan, but we are accountable for every minute, and we are to spend them all doing what our Creator desires and intends.

I have been aware of this reality for a long time, but the fact that I have currently outlived my father by over 11 years, when physically I am his virtual clone, certainly puts a point on it. I am not to be frantic, but I’m to seek my Lord for how He wants me to use every bit of my time. I was greatly blessed to participate in the celebration of Phyllis Kaylor’s life, since she certainly used her almost 91 years in full service to her Lord. I could hope for no better. At 75, that age is less than 16 years in the future for me! It is a blessed anticipation, just as Paul used the expression, “our salvation.” That will be the moment of liberation from all the pains, physical and otherwise, of this life and release into the glorious eternity my Lord has prepared for me. However, my looking forward to that should spur me on to greater obedience right now, with no hint of “biding my time.” I want neither to “burn out” nor to “rust out,” but rather to walk out in joyful obedience, whether that is as my Lord returns or in something more individual.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Such reminders have been more frequent recently. Help me indeed listen to You more and more accurately, more and more obediently, so that all of Your purposes may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!