What is it about the holidays that brings up so many feelings? I think this time of year we tend to contemplate bigger life things than any other time of the year. And hearing Sunday’s message on the Last Days had me completely in my feelings.
Every time I hear a message on Revelation, my heart goes out to those who are not saved in my life. For me, it is a message of hope, but for those who have rejected Christ…it is a message of eternal separation from God and from those we love.
As I was sitting in church contemplating these last days and all the suffering that will be for those who actively reject Christ, God whispered these gentle words to my heart: At the end of it all, it will be just you and me. Can you love me most?
I felt like Lot’s wife, looking back. Looking back at those who are not saved yet and saying, “Don’t come yet Jesus! Just wait a little longer. Save a few more souls!”
But when He comes, I have to be ready. I have to choose Him. I get to choose Him. He is the One that has been with me all this time, and the One who will be with me to the end.
When I hear messages on being prepared for His arrival, it’s hard to know what that looks like. Half of my heart is still ministering to the lost here on earth, but the other half simply wants Him to return so I can be with Him forever. But it feels selfish to just say, “Come Lord” when there are so many lost.
I wonder if any of you feel this familiar pull that I was feeling on Sunday.
It reminded me of when I was a little girl and I was actually afraid of the rapture. I didn’t want Jesus to come back yet because I had things to do! I wanted to get married one day, I wanted to be a mom, I wanted to live a little and see things and do life. I loved Jesus, but I didn’t love Him enough to go away with Him right here, right now.
Things have changed after all these years, after I’ve grown up a little. (Let’s face it, I still have a long way to go!) But Jesus has slowly changed my heart. I now long for Him to come back, and all the things that once seemed so important have faded into the distance.
It’s like that old familiar song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” that plays, “When the things of earth grow strangely dim…in the light of His glorious grace.”
I am in the phase where things have grown dim. And yet, my heart is torn for those who still need saving. I am prepared, but I wonder about them. My heart aches for them to see the truth. I want all to choose Him before the wrath comes…but as we know, that is simply not the end of the story. Many will still be blind when He arrives, but on that final day…we will see every knee bow (Philippians 2:10-11).
I am guessing that you are spending the holidays with others who are lost…others who don’t know Jesus. It is a hard reality to face when you are in a room full of people drinking egg-nog but your heart is set on the eternal. We wonder…will they ever know Him? I’ve preached the gospel and shared and hoped and prayed for so long…will they ever commit to Christ?
Friend, I feel your heart, and I feel the pain you carry. If you felt conflicted on Sunday, know you are not alone. But at the end of the day, I think those words that God whispered to me still ring true: Can we love Him most?
We have to choose Him above all else. He is there for us at the end of it all, He is the One left standing.
What would it look like to release the expectation of what that looks like to Him, and to still simply look forward in expectant hope to His coming? How can we find joy, even when all is not “right in the world”? How can we experience the abundant life as we think about His arrival?
Choosing joy and expectant hope is not always easy, but when we get to a place where all that’s left is “Him”…deep in our hearts, we can truly rejoice!
We welcome you dear Savior. Come Lord Jesus, come.
Every time I hear a message on Revelation, my heart goes out to those who are not saved in my life. For me, it is a message of hope, but for those who have rejected Christ…it is a message of eternal separation from God and from those we love.
As I was sitting in church contemplating these last days and all the suffering that will be for those who actively reject Christ, God whispered these gentle words to my heart: At the end of it all, it will be just you and me. Can you love me most?
I felt like Lot’s wife, looking back. Looking back at those who are not saved yet and saying, “Don’t come yet Jesus! Just wait a little longer. Save a few more souls!”
But when He comes, I have to be ready. I have to choose Him. I get to choose Him. He is the One that has been with me all this time, and the One who will be with me to the end.
When I hear messages on being prepared for His arrival, it’s hard to know what that looks like. Half of my heart is still ministering to the lost here on earth, but the other half simply wants Him to return so I can be with Him forever. But it feels selfish to just say, “Come Lord” when there are so many lost.
I wonder if any of you feel this familiar pull that I was feeling on Sunday.
It reminded me of when I was a little girl and I was actually afraid of the rapture. I didn’t want Jesus to come back yet because I had things to do! I wanted to get married one day, I wanted to be a mom, I wanted to live a little and see things and do life. I loved Jesus, but I didn’t love Him enough to go away with Him right here, right now.
Things have changed after all these years, after I’ve grown up a little. (Let’s face it, I still have a long way to go!) But Jesus has slowly changed my heart. I now long for Him to come back, and all the things that once seemed so important have faded into the distance.
It’s like that old familiar song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” that plays, “When the things of earth grow strangely dim…in the light of His glorious grace.”
I am in the phase where things have grown dim. And yet, my heart is torn for those who still need saving. I am prepared, but I wonder about them. My heart aches for them to see the truth. I want all to choose Him before the wrath comes…but as we know, that is simply not the end of the story. Many will still be blind when He arrives, but on that final day…we will see every knee bow (Philippians 2:10-11).
I am guessing that you are spending the holidays with others who are lost…others who don’t know Jesus. It is a hard reality to face when you are in a room full of people drinking egg-nog but your heart is set on the eternal. We wonder…will they ever know Him? I’ve preached the gospel and shared and hoped and prayed for so long…will they ever commit to Christ?
Friend, I feel your heart, and I feel the pain you carry. If you felt conflicted on Sunday, know you are not alone. But at the end of the day, I think those words that God whispered to me still ring true: Can we love Him most?
We have to choose Him above all else. He is there for us at the end of it all, He is the One left standing.
What would it look like to release the expectation of what that looks like to Him, and to still simply look forward in expectant hope to His coming? How can we find joy, even when all is not “right in the world”? How can we experience the abundant life as we think about His arrival?
Choosing joy and expectant hope is not always easy, but when we get to a place where all that’s left is “Him”…deep in our hearts, we can truly rejoice!
We welcome you dear Savior. Come Lord Jesus, come.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.