Colossians 4:2 Archives - There Goes Connie

Our lives can change drastically in an instant.

When I got to Sunday School last Sunday, I learned that a good friend fell down a flight of stairs at her daughter’s house the night before and broke her hip. For the next weeks and months, she will deal with the aftermath of that fall. Suddenly, her plans for that night and the days ahead were painfully rearranged.

Two weeks earlier some dear friends got the phone call no parent ever wants to receive. Their daughter, after tucking two young children into bed, got overheated while exercising, collapsed and was unresponsive. Over the next days, they helped their grieving son-in-law make arrangements for a funeral, all while being devastated themselves. Their lives, on this side of heaven, are forever changed.

I got one of those life-changing phone calls in January of 1986. An unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line said that I should come as quickly as possible, because it appeared that my Mom had suffered a severe brain aneurysm. The succeeding days were a blur of tears and shock. The heart of our family was gone, the glue, the communicator, the fun-planner, the true life of every gathering.

Then, this past Monday morning I awoke to the scenes of death and chaos in Las Vegas, NV. More than 50 lives were snuffed out in the middle of attending an outdoor concert, and 500 others now had injuries, healing, recovery and rehab to face rather than just a happy drive back home.

These verses in the Bible are on my mind this morning. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52:

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—

in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Did you get that? “In a flash,” “in the twinkling of an eye,” WE WILL ALL BE CHANGED. You may not have faced a sudden, life-altering event YET in your life, but one is coming. The Bible tells us over and over. For some, it may seem like a warning, while others see it as a promise. Either way, it’s a fact.

But, what are we supposed to do about it in the meantime? How do we live our lives after receiving one of those bad phone calls or having that sudden fall/accident? What does God want us to do while we wait for His return that will most certainly happen at an unexpected moment?

My son, Preacher Matt, often looks at what the Scripture does NOT say in certain passages. Let’s do that for a moment.

1) No place in the Bible are we told to put on sack cloth and ashes, get in a fetal position, wring our hands, gnash our teeth and become consumed with worry and dread.

2) No place in the Bible are we told to sell all of our worldly goods, gather some like-minded friends, go up on a mountain and sing “Kum-Bah-Yah” while we watch for the end to come.

3) No place in the Bible are we told to browbeat every non-Christian we know, hit them over the head with our Bibles, shame them into repentance and drag them down the aisles of our churches.

So, what ARE we supposed to do?

Hosea 10:12 says “Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” Look at all of the verbs suggesting that we continue to work with diligence — “sow,” “reap,” “break up your fallow ground.” In other words, keep doing the things we know we should be doing. Continue to work, live and relate to others with integrity.

Mark 13:33-37 admonishes us to be alert. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. “It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. “Therefore, be on the alert–for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. “What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!'” Be ready. Be prayed up. Ask for forgiveness from those you’ve wronged. Mend relationships that have been broken. Build relationships with people who need to hear the Gospel and ask God to send the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts and to divinely orchestrate opportunities to share with them. Say the “I love you’s” now, so there will be no regrets later. Be kinder than usual. Be gentler than usual. Enjoy your friendships and cultivate others. Laugh and smile more. Reflect the presence of Christ in your life.

1 Corinthians 16:13 says “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Take courageous stands based on your faith in Christ.

Colossians 4:2 reminds us to “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” So, we should pray more and stay thankful.

All of these verses remind me that there is much to do while I wait. What do they say to you today?

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