Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries - Monday, 30
December 2013 - "Impatient People"
... you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true
God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus
who delivers us from the wrath to come.(1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10)
Last month, an old friend came for a visit.
Knowing he had driven a considerable distance, I asked,
"How was your trip?"
He replied, "There was a lot of police on the road."
Without any explanation, I knew what he meant. So do you. He
hadn't been able to drive at the over-the-speed limit he wanted.
Not so long ago, I heard of some drivers who were on an
interstate in Pennsylvania. They were proceeding at a pretty good pace until a
highway patrol car joined them. That meant speeds were reduced, and people had
to behave. A line of drivers kept glancing in their rearview mirror, waiting
for that moment when the officer would exit the line of cars.
After a few miles of watching the comedy, the state policeman
activated his bullhorn and called out to the drivers ahead of him: "I'm
not a Pennsylvania state policeman. I'm from Connecticut! You can speed up
now!"
We are an impatient people.
When you go to a department store, you scan the registers to see
which line is shortest. You check out the stuff in the other customers' carts
to see who will take longer to ring out. At the bank's drive-up teller windows,
you go where the line is shortest. At the fast-food place you get upset if the
persons in the cars ahead of you put in a big order. College students get
freaky as they wait to sign up for needed classes or to buy books. When we
vote, we don't want to be slowed down by too lengthy ballots. And, of course,
if you don't believe anything else I've said, ask your child's teacher what the
day is like when Christmas vacation, which, in some places is called
"winter break" rolls around. Ask them whether they can get anything
done during the last week of school.
We are an impatient people. This is why it is so very hard for
us to listen to Jesus when He tells us to watch for His return.
We shouldn't be surprised. The Old Testament people had a
difficult time waiting for Jesus' first coming. A prophet would come and help
them remember, but that remembering lasted only for a while. In our time people
forget Jesus promised to return for the purpose of judging the world. They act
as if that day will never come and if it does come, Jesus is going to be pretty
lenient in His verdict.
Well, that's not going to be the case.
Jesus is going to judge, and He is going to be looking for faith
in the hearts of His people. He entered this world and, from moment one, gave
Himself for the express purpose of saving us from the consequences of sin. It
cost Him dearly, and He wants us to remember ... to remember and respond in the
things we do and that which we say.
It's only right and proper we remember our Savior and the Judge
who will be pretty impatient with those who have forgotten His sacrifice.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You never forgot the purpose for
which You were born into this world. May we be appreciative of Your sacrifice
and wait patiently for the unknown hour of Your return. In Your Name. Amen.
-------
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center
St. Louis, MO 63141 United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment