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Serious Times Demand Serious Commitment

 I Thessalonians 5:6 – 8 - “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”

We are living in very serious times. In II Timothy 3:1 the Apostle Paul wrote the headlines we are currently reading in our news sources. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” Just a few days ago the Lord spoke very clearly to me, “It is time to get serious about your walk and relationship with God because we are living in very serious times.” The word perilous means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with. Bishop Tim Hill writes, “The word describes a society that is barren of virtue but abounding with vices.” (1)


We are living in serious times. Jesus warned us about these times in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The Apostle Paul writes about how to navigate serious times in Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Serious times demand a serious commitment from the people of God. Psalms 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”


I believe we must be like the sons of Issachar who understood the times and knew how to respond. I Chronicles 12:32 says, “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”


Serious times call for a greater devotion to the Lord. We need to examine our hearts and strive to draw closer to the Lord. 


[i]  Hill, Tim, Living in the Spirit and Power of Pentecost, Pathway Press, Cleveland, TN, 2018, page 44

 

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