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"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."
(Psalm 23:6)
I will conclude this week's devotions with the last two things the Lord has shown me in recent days. I have shared the following so far: God is good, we must stay in the Word of God and pray, and stay close to family and friends. The next thought I want to share with you this week is, I believe change is coming. I sense that changes are on the horizon for the Church of Jesus Christ. I am also sensing change is coming to the church I am privileged to serve, Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, TX.
Perhaps you have heard this saying: insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. As followers of Jesus Christ in this fallen world, we are going to have to be good with change and with making changes when the Spirit leads us. The only people who like change are babies with wet diapers, and even they are not usually excited about it at first! Changing our plans, approaches, and methods without changing our core convictions and doctrines will be vitally important.
The last thing I will share that I have felt impressed upon me lately is the fact that Jesus is coming back. On August 8-9, I attended the Christ Together Greater Austin board meeting. I love these pastors in Austin with whom I get to serve the Lord. One of the pastors, a good friend of mine, Ky Faciane, asked us "What is God telling you men?" One pastor said he believed we will have maybe one more resurgence in biblical truth and morality, then we are going to war with China, and that will be the end of the world. The pastor who said this is a deeply loved and respected pastor in our city, a man for whom I have the utmost respect. Another pastor simply said, "Jesus is coming back." I did not answer my friend Ky's question; instead, I walked outside, away from the meeting, and just wept. I was so overcome with emotion because that is precisely how I feel: Jesus is coming back! My spirit bore witness with these pastors. In John 14:3, Jesus said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Revelation 22:20 says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
I believe Jesus will come for His Bride, the Church, in the rapture, and then seven years later, He will come with His Church to set up His millennial reign on earth from Jerusalem. You may not agree with my eschatology, but if you believe the Scriptures, then you must believe that Jesus is coming again. True, it may not be in our lifetime, but I sure hope it does happen in our lifetime! Wouldn't that be awesome?! But whether Jesus comes next year or in a hundred years, I think it is imperative that followers of Jesus live with this expectancy that it could happen today. Oh, that it would happen today.
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