2nd Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
This passage of scripture describes for us the general lifestyle of the remnant people of God, those of us who are living on the brink of eternity, and who hope to share in the blessings and joy of the redeemed. Our activities should be in line with our mission and calling, and therefore the hungering and thirsting after righteousness which Christ spoke about, should be a part of the driving force in guiding our lifestyle. When Christ was about to leave this world, He called together a group of faithful believers and told them what the focus of their interests should be. And it is in the context of fulfilling that stated mission, that His promise to be with us till the end of time is given in the last chapter of Matthew. Let's read:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Thus, in harmony with this mission statement, the lifestyles of the remnant will be aligned, resulting in godliness, holy conversation, and doing all we can in our neck of the woods to hasten His coming. Now while it is true that we still need to work and pay our bills, yet these activities should never be made to trump the much more important mandate we have been given by Christ, for there seems to be a serious imbalance in our priorities as far as mission and subsisting are concerned. In many cases, what drives us most and peaks our highest energies, is working for our daily bread, and saving for retirement where we can travel the world or relax in the sunshine state under coconut trees and cool sea breezes. This is definitely not what Christ has left us to do, and it's high time that we step up to the plate by engaging in such activities that will build sterling characters for heaven and that will further the interests of the kingdom of God throughout the whole earth.
Every true Christian who has the ability should be involved in some form of active ministry that incorporates our mission statement into our daily routine. This is not to be left to the church as a corporate body, nor is it only to be engaged when prompted to do so by stirring sermons and appeals for service. When our interest is centered in God and spiritual things, our actions will show, and there will be seen a general direction in the things of God which will color the whole tenor of our everyday experiences. After the woman at the well found the living springs of water in Christ, she apparently forgot about her temporal pursuits, for the interests of the Kingdom of God now took center-stage in her life. Let's read:
John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Thus it will always be with those who are looking earnestly for the coming of Jesus, for our activities will directly be affected or altered to suit the mission we have been given by Christ. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very point, and it is the will of God that the necessary reforms and changes to our thinking and priorities, take place where needed. Let's read:
Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!