Countdown To Christ
Our lives are better viewed as a clock counting down. We would do well to learn to number our days, fear God, and draw near to God as we open the door of our heart to let Him in.
“And Samuel’s word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us...So the people...brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty... The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. She said, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.””
1 Samuel 4:1, 3-4, 11-22
It's funny how an ancient story could be so relevant today. If you look at a deeper level at the story, you will see what was going on in the heart of the people. They had gotten comfortable and just expected God to handle every thing they needed when they needed. Then when something goes wrong, that is when they finally turn to God and invite Him in. When are you turning to God? Jesus said, seek first the kingdom. Is God first in your life? Are you giving him your best?
The crazy part of the story is that the glory the Lord had already departed. He didn't stick around because He is not satisfied with your leftovers. He absolutely wants to save his people, but he's not interested if you only save for him that which is not important to you. Your last fruits, your least effort, your lowest praise. We wonder why God feels distant. Perhaps it's because the glory has already left the building.
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalms 90:1-17
This is a song of Moses. You have to wonder if his heart didn't ache when he thought about the 40 years he spent running from God. The 40 years wasted in the wilderness while he did his own thing. The pain of regret can run deep.
The good news is that God is always pursuing us and when we turn to him, He does great things and through us. When we talk about dwelling with God, we are not talking about a drive-through visit. How much time do you devote each day to practicing the presence of God? We are meant to be eternally dependent and connected to him.
What does it mean to you to number your days? Wisdom tells us to number our days. So many days are just thrown away when they are lived for oneself. Can you say you are fully devoted to God then spend all day scrolling on a device? God wants us to learn to live for him and with him. Notice how the song says, satisfy us with your love in the morning. The best and first thing we are meant to do is abide with Him, receive His love, and then do the work He gives us. Is this your order of operations?
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth... When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. This is what I have observed to be good: to eat, drink, to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them...the ability to enjoy them...this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
Do you fear God? Are you in awe of the Almighty? How do you approach him? Do you approach him with reverence and respect? Is your prayer time a time of listening and learning? Do you even have prayer time? What is your posture during that time? Solomon cautions us to consider every word not because He is looking to criticize where we fall short but because we are speaking to the Risen Christ. Do you have any unfulfilled vows to God? What causes us to delay doing what we know we should do?
Consider the connection between psalm 90 where it says he just a number our days and what Solomon teaches about how to see each day as a gift from God. The old cliché says that is why it's called the present. But what if we turned it from a cliché into a call to live well and live fully God? Does finding the eternal not start by awakening to the reality that the Miraculous God is in every minute and every moment of our lives?
“Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ “ ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Zechariah 7:4-6, 8-10, 13
Is God calling you today? The truth is God calls us every day and today He calls us out. He calls out the hypocrisy in our lives and the way in which we run through the motions of our routines. He called out the way we take things for granted and just do whatever we feel like doing because it appears like we are faithful.
The people ask about continuing religious fasting, but God redirects the conversation entirely. He exposes that their fasting was never truly for Him. The call is not for more rituals, but for transformed lives. Jesus says changed the way you think and Paul says be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Rituals and routines numb our minds. God wants you to experience breakthrough and power. The Holy Spirit gives us power, but what power can we possibly have if we do not awaken to His presence or practice our gifts in a way that aligns with His purposes.
God does not leave any doubt about what he wants us to do. He says go make a difference in the world and help the people who need help. He says, bring justice, show mercy, be compassionate, and care about what I care about. Does your heart break for what breaks the heart of God? God is saying that the evidence of real devotion is not ritual performance but relational faithfulness expressed in how we treat others. Who could you help today?
“Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:2-22
How do you view Jesus? Do you have a kind, cuddly, graceful view? Good. But do you also understand that he is Grace and truth? God is not interested in being trifled with. He doesn't want to play your games. He says repeatedly I know your deeds. I know when you pretend to love me and when you actually love me. I know when you are religious and I know when you are actually pursuing relationship.
Can you be honest with him? Have you been lukewarm? What does it mean to be lukewarm? Have you been going through the motions but not actually giving God you're all? Jesus says I stand at the door knock, and those who answer and listen to me will be with me. But he also caution that if you do not, you will not, and it will not go well for you. This is not to create fear, but let us not deceive ourselves, you cannot pretend to love God.
The text says that the Lord disciplines the one He loves, so should you not expect discipline if you do not do what is right? Have you done what is right? Have you turned to God when it's convenient for you but not carried your cross daily? God is not interested in you. Just checking in with him when you feel like it's convenient. He's not a genie in a bottle that you just call upon when you need help.
Discipline is done so that you could do what is right and drawn near to him. He wants to bring you into right alignment and right relationship with Him. Is there anywhere in your life that is not in alignment with God? Listen to his words. He says repent. Turn from the way you've been living to the living God. He's not trying to condemn you. He's trying to help correct you so that you find eternal life and do not forfeit your crown.
Jesus speaks to the church with piercing clarity especially in Laodicea exposing lukewarm faith. It is a call to move from empty association with God to a living, active, surrendered relationship. The call to pick up our cross daily does not have any conditional clauses that reference if we feel like it. He wants us to move from lukewarm to living fully, faithfully, and freely. He invites us to pay attention and listen to his voice all day long as we invite him into everything.
God is not looking for people who carry His name, pretend to look the part, but actually live for themselves. He is seeking hearts that are humble, attentive, and aligned with Him. He wants to be our dwelling place, not our last resort. He wants our words to be few and with reverence fulfill our vows to love. He wants our faith to be warm, alive, and responsive, not lukewarm and indifferent. He wants our lives to reflect His heart by bringing justice, mercy, and compassion in real, tangible ways.
The warning is real. It is possible to be very close to the things of God and still be far from Him. The good news is that our hope in Jesus is greater. If we turn to Him and invite Him in, if we listen, if we seek His presence, He meets us there. Jesus is calling. Will you answer? Will you invite him in and allow him to transform your life by laying your life down each day? Lord Jesus teach us to number of days and live for you so that we would learn to see each day as a gift from you.