Will You Endure To The End?

If you have bought the lie that 'this world will go on forever', then this is a dangerous place to be in right now

Matthew 16:24/27

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."

If the end of the age happened tomorrow, and you did not reach your goals on this side of eternity, would you deny Jesus?

This is a question I firmly believe each and every single one of us who profess Jesus, need to really consider. We have to understand WHY we follow Jesus, and WHAT we are willing to lose for His glory. We have to be ready to face discomfort, disappointment and failure in a world that has promised us a false sense of 'success'. We must be ready to count the cost (2nd Timothy 3:12).

• If you do not get married and have a family before Jesus returns, will you deny Him?

• If you do not finish college and get that dream job before Jesus returns, will you deny Him?

• If you do not get the house, the car, the wife, the kids, the successful job, the respect and all of the other 'stuff' before Jesus returns, will you deny Him? (I speak as a man).

• If you face immense difficulty and trial in your life up to the point of Jesus returning, will you be offended and deny Him?

• If you were persecuted for your faith to Jesus, would you deny Him? (Matthew 24:9/14).

• If you never found love on this side of eternity before Jesus returns, would you deny Him?

• If you never reconciled with somebody who meant the world to you before Jesus returns, would you deny Him?

• If your teachers, preachers and supposed 'experts' turned out being wrong on the Word of God, would you be offended and deny Jesus?

• If you were alienated from your only child, and that child gets manipulated to hate you based on lies and deceit, all before Jesus returns, would you deny Him?

• If you lost everything that had meaning and purpose to you before Jesus returns, would you deny Him?

These types of scenarios can go on forever, because the unfortunate reality is that countless multitudes place their hope in things that will pass, or try to find meaning in meaningless things. So in their pursuit to find that supposed 'happiness', they get set up for ultimate crushing and devastation when the world is approaching the end of the age.

We have to be honest with ourselves and decide what is WORTH clinging on to as we see this reality splitting at the seams, and showing us more and more that judgement is coming, Jesus is returning and the end of the age is far closer than it has ever been in human history.

No, it is not wrong to desire marriage, a family, success or other things IF they are ultimately for the glory of God. BUT, if our 'end all' is based on those things, and not knowing or following Jesus, no matter the cost, then we are going to set ourselves up for weeping and gnashing of teeth when we do not get those 'things' we so desire when the end of the age comes, and we no longer have time to focus on the 'happily ever after' we crave for.

For me? It would be wonderful to marry again, try to start a family again and get to see my kids grow up without being turned against me. It would be nice to have my published books reach the world and encourage millions towards Jesus. It would be nice to share life with somebody who also loves and follows Jesus with her entire being, and so much more.

EVEN IN THIS DESIRE, I trust the Lord, whether I receive those before He returns, or if I never see them and serve Him until my final breath in whatever capacity He chooses to use me in... and I believe that this should be the heart of EVERY BELIEVER in this hour.

If you are married and have a family, love them as Christ loves the church. If you are a successful businessman, do it all for the glory of God and use that business to make Jesus known. If you are serving faithfully in your community, do so in the love of Jesus and be a poured out vessel for His glory. If you are single and past the age of youth, seek to serve the Lord Jesus with every fiber of your being, and learning to be content as He sees fit to use you for His glory.

GO and SEEK to do that which glorifies God (love Him, be obedient, repent, grow, thrive for His glory... Matthew 22:36/40, Matthew 28:18/20). Do not seek to make a name for yourself, but seek to make Jesus known with the time allotted to you on this side of eternity, and doing so with gusto and truth beyond measure. Do not seek to make your own little 'empire' in His name, and do not seek to find happiness in the temporary things of this life alone.