Dear child of God,
This message is coming as a reminder and an encouragement to you, not to forget that that Christ is coming when we least expect it. For you, child of God, we are not left in the dark not knowing the signs of his coming which should not catch you unawares.
I remember a story while growing up in Lagos,Nigeria that the residents of our community did receive threats letters from armed robbers of their plans to raid the community. The letters were never specific on the exact date but only give information of their plans to visit the area soon and that they should prepare to receive the “August visitors”. Oh, the house owners were usually destabilized on receiving these letters, they began having late night meetings and strategizing on how to gear up their security efforts.
My dad and other community members became emergency vigilantes/ area watchmen. After long days work, they only sleep for few hours and by midnight, they are banging on gates, blowing whistles and move from one streets to another, well prepared for the thieves.
After weeks of keeping watch without any trace of the expected “August visitors, they began to get tired, reduce in number of attendance and eventually relax or take a break from it. What I noticed as the trend even as a child was that, it seems the armed robbers were also on the watch for this “ emergency vigilantes. They strike when they knew the house owners were tired and no longer mounting their watch towers.
I also remembered that these thieves only raided houses that were completely out of sight/ light, close to the bushes where there was thick darkness. So that they are not easily noticed when they arrive and carry out their attacks . This was really a sad one to behold the event of things because the house owners were tired, sleepy and had given up on their watches.
Wow! How this story brought a better understanding of Christ’s return to me this morning and how I need to mount my watch tower.
We are not left in the dark, we have his letters written to us of the signs of his coming, the events that will happen and how we should be ready. The only thing we are not told is the exact date and hour which is only known by God the father, not even Jesus
In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
As a child of God, we need to WATCH and PRAY and be ready to meet with the master. It should not meet us unawares if we are mounting our watch towers.
Be careful where you lay your treasure, be careful where your heart is, be careful what is most important to you, be careful of the messages you are feeding your self with, be careful of your associations, be careful not to slip away and also be careful not to be like the foolish virgins that were sleeping and slumbering when they should be watching and praying.
““When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
Matthew 24:37-39 NLT
“Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”
1 Thessalonians 5:1, 3-8 NLT
God has not brought you this far with Him not to abandon you. He did not save you to lead you into destruction but to prepare a place for you. Jesus is not sleeping neither is he slumbering but he is praying and watching out for you. He is preparing a place of abode for you in heaven and also preparing to come back for his bride.
Be encouraged by these words and get up, be on the watch towers.
“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NLT
In His love,
Jummy Akinjide