Is The Battle Close?

Good morning! A snowflake just floated back up by the window as though to greet me this morning. Wait, it's April 18, why are snowflakes still hanging around? Isn't it spring yet? Snowflakes in the air, ice on the streets, the thermometer shows mid-20's...seems more like winter this morning. Yet, there is the promise of warmer days to come, as quickly as tomorrow in fact. The return of Jesus is coming in much the same way. The world will appear lost to us one day, then suddenly, Jesus will be here. Before that great day we may suffer much tribulation in this world. How close does the battle seem to you on this day?

Your situation may call for the intervention of the prayer warriors today, and then all too quickly a brother in Christ falls at your side. His situation is worse even than your own. More prayer is needed. Oh, when will Jesus come for us?! Your situation may be one of rest at this time, but families to either side are dealing with terrible blows. A neighbor breathes his last and the funeral will be held next Tuesday. Did you say enough to him? His family went to church, but might you have done more? You may never know. The emotional pain strikes closer to home. The battle rages on, sometimes closer, at other times farther away.

Every day in Christ is the fight of our lives, but those lives are spoken and paid for. We may seem to be losing on some days, but Jesus cannot lose! The situation appears grave, with possibilities limited to dire and grievous, but in Christ we are already saved. Did you think Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sin, and then left the fight to each of us to stand alone? An army of sheep needs our Shepherd, and He is always with us. Though we are pressed on all sides by the enemy, our Lord is victorious! Trust in the saving and sanctifying power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bucky