Someone recently shared the following clip with me. I found it to be convicting and refreshing, all in one breath. Convicting because it challenged me about the testimony and validity of my personal walk with the Lord, as well as my influence upon and interaction with those around me; refreshing because it carries an unwelcome message in today’s society that is disdained and distorted.
This clip was also very timely for me as I am preparing to speak at a Purity Retreat in just a few weeks. The essence of my devotionals is that purity goes far beyond sex. Purity involves every aspect of our lives, whether single or married, whether young or old (and I’ll let you decide which one your are). So ready or not, welcome or not, this message is imperative for all of us, and that is why I am sharing it with you.
How trite we have made Christianity – and yes, that’s a we. I’m not here to point fingers. Like Isaiah, I find myself mourning over the state of my nation, but as I draw near to a thrice-holy God, my own heinous sin and evil heart are grossly revealed: “Woe is me, for I am ruined [lit. undone]! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Is. 6.5).
Watching this clip, led me to two others with a powerful reminder that Christ is coming again…
…and He’s coming again soon.
I have said before that I believe we are living in the end times, but I also believe that every church age was intended to live with that mindset. The question is, “Am I?” Do I live my life in such a way that I am prepared at any moment to be ushered into the presence of the Lord?
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming….
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him;
and He will separate them from one another,
as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left” (Mt. 25.31-33).
As it is, Christ has not yet returned for His church; that makes me sad and glad. Sad because as Paul observed, ”To die is gain…to depart and be with Christ” (Ph. 1.21,23). David, too, noted, “I will be satisfied with [beholding] Your likeness when I awake” (Ps. 17.15). At the same time, I’m glad because that means I yet have time to ”preach the Word!” (2 Tm. 4.2).
Isaiah did not remain fallen before God; rather, he was painfully purified to become a clean vessel ready for service so that when he “heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’” and Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!” (Is. 6.8-9).
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28.19-20).
What was God’s response to Isaiah? ”Go.”