Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Thessalonica by reminding them that they know the times and the seasons – that’s not an issue. In our lives today, we need to remember the same thing. The times and seasons are well known to us, for we have been preached to for years. We have been instructed in how to read the times and seasons, both of this world and the spiritual world. But knowing and acting on that knowledge are two different things. We know that the Lord will come at any time – that’s the eminence of His return. But in spite of knowing that He will come “as a thief in the night,” it will catch some off guard.
Ezekiel tells us that we are to be watchmen on the walls, shouting out warnings of trouble to come. We are to warn those within the city. We know that the day of the Lord will come soon, yet we continue through our lives in apathy and complacency. We know what shape the world’s in, and we know what to do about it. Some say, “It’s too big a task – we can never get it done.” So they do nothing.
I heard a story once about a young girl who lived in the days when coal was burned for heat. As she attempted to carry a ton of coal a shovelful at a time from the sidewalk to a coal bin in the cellar, she was asked by an onlooker, “Do you expect to get all that coal in with that little shovel?” “Yes sir,” she answered, “if I work long enough.” That should be our response to those who ask us, “There are so many to win – can you win enough?” We should answer, “Yes sir – if I work long enough.”
But the task is large and daunting, and so many don’t take it up. Many have become weak and powerless. They can’t tell of His great love, because they don’t have it in their heart. They neglect God’s Word and prayer. Many haven’t kept themselves free from worldliness, so their garments have become spotted with the world. They have let sin creep in and make them unfit for service. Many have neglected the house of God where we get charged up through the preaching of the Word and fellowship with fellow-believers. They have forsaken the assembling of themselves together. Many have gotten caught up in themselves and their own lives and don’t keep a watch for the souls of men, losing sight of the fact that those souls are lost and bound for a devil’s hell.
My friend, we have the knowledge; we have the solution; we have the command of God. Paul tells us in verse 7 of the same chapter, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” This is the same admonition we get from Ezekiel to be watchmen on the walls. Our job is to warn those around us of the coming danger. Carry gospel tracts with you everywhere you go, handing them out or just leaving them where others will find them. Always be ready to give a witness to everyone you meet. Live in such a way that others see Christ in you. But please, don’t turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to those souls that are rushing headlong into an eternity without Christ. Time is short - Christ is coming soon - "as a thief in the night."
Quote – “I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps He may interrupt my work and begin His own. I am not looking for death, I am looking for Him.” – G. Campbell Morgan
