For the pain, the suffering and sorrow to be over, either by Rapture or death, either would be fine.
The frustrations to end, the apathy exhibited by those we profess salvation from the Lord to ceasing, as if life for them will continue forever, that there is no rush, no hurry to consider where they will spend eternity.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)
Life has no purpose for those who have been born-again unless we are living for Christ, unless in some way, each day, many times throughout the day we can express to others what we have been blessed to receive. Eternal life in the presence of joy, pleasures forevermore, all sin removed, heirs to the Kingdom of heaven. That death holds no fear over us, but instead, great anticipation.
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1st Cor. 15:55)
But to those we speak to we seem as fools, too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good, unconcerned with those trivial passing items that they deem so very important today, those things that will be replaced tomorrow with something supposedly more important than yesterday’s news.
Feigning concern, for that is truly what it is, within ourselves towards those things as they speak of them, waiting for the opportunity to reveal the truths of the Word of God to them, altering the conversation towards matters of eternal value, away from the temporal.
Praying while we speak that they will hear His truths.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1st Cor. 1:18)
We want to go home, to be in the presence of the One we serve above all things, yet He bids us to stay, for there is yet work to do.
What we desire, to die is gain, those we speak to fear above all things. We cannot tell them that the Almighty will remove all their pain and sorrows, He may in fact increase them. We cannot say to them that life will be a bed of roses, that all will fall into place, that the world will be opened up to them and the thorns of life will disappear.
Just the opposite, grief, sorrows, trials and tribulations, the loss of all, if that is what He sees fit to place upon them.
But we can promise them that they will never have to face any of that alone ever again.
We can promise them a peace that passes all understanding, an assurance of His promises that will never be removed. The truth of John 10:28 we can give to them.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
They also can know unquestionably the truth that to die is gain.
We can offer them this truth, that if they die to self, if they seek His face for His glory, if their life is devoted fully to the Lord Jesus Christ, lifting up His name to all they meet, if they are born again, they also can expect frustrations and a continual burning in their soul for that which they will not receive until the Most High says to them, “Your work for me is done, come home.”
To those we speak to, to live is to seek pleasures and contentment here, to enjoy for as long as possible the offerings of this world, to continuously seek for happiness. To those we speak to, even just the contemplation of their death brings a great fear.
We are sent out with the message of hope, of love, of an eternity of inexpressible joy, as well as the message of eternal hopelessness for those who refuse His offering of grace through faith. What we hope for they fear above all else.
Offer it to them, even in your frustrations of the knowledge that most will not heed the call.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14)
