If Only We Knew When

 

 

If only we knew when he was coming

There are so many things we would change,

Like a lot of things that matter now:

All these priorities would be rearranged.

 

Some would wait till the day before

And put a lot of things in place

Just like we do at Christmas time

As though running a short distance race.

 

Top priority would be his coming

I am sure it’s not the top priority now,

Maybe those unbelievers who paid him no mind

Would be practising how to bow.

 

But let’s be practical and let’s be real

More than two thousand years have passed,

And the longer it is before his return

The longer ‘twill be our task.

 

But what if he were coming tomorrow?

And what if we only knew today?

I could just imagine the frantic rush-

It would be all serious business and no play.

 

You see, our belief about eschatology

Should influence how we live today,

If we believe he could return tomorrow

We would be acting without delay.

 

 

But maybe we really don’t believe that

Hence, why we’re just coasting along,

And just putting a few things in place

Just in case our thinking is wrong.

 

The Thessalonians in the early Church

Felt Jesus would return in their time

And in such anticipation refused to work

But they had to change their mind.

 

If they refuse to work they should not eat

This was the Apostle Paul’s command,

That may seem harsh in a Christian church

But it really was the better plan.

 

You maybe wondering what I am getting at

Based on this title I have chosen,

It is that we too have neglected the work

That our Saviour, the Lord has given.

 

 

This is the time for the Gospel to spread:

With this we should be occupied,

Instead we are caught up with frivolous things

And this anomaly should not be denied.

 

It is true we can’t keep a frenetic pace,

That is not humanly possible

But we must keep in mind the Great Commission

And ensure we preach the Gospel.

 

The fact that he died for our sins

And the sins of the whole wide world,

The fact that he rose again from the dead

As recorded in his Holy Word.

 

The fact that he is coming again

And none of us knows the time,

The fact that he is the only pardon for sin

Regardless of what others may opine.

 

If only we knew when, I repeat again,

Why should that be the significance?

The fact of the matter that he is coming again

Should be the fact that makes the difference.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Grasshopper Mentality

 

 

Numbers 13:33

 

And there we saw the giants,

the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:

and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers,

and so we were in their sight.

 

As it was in that day

So, it is in our time,

Not only are we grasshoppers

But so is God in our mind.

 

The land was great

And worthy of possession

But there were giants there:

A gigantic obstruction.

 

Twelve spies were sent out

To spy out the land,

God had promised them it;

That was His plan.

 

The majority reported

The land was already taken

There were giants there

And they were frightened.

 

“They are stronger than we

We can’t go up against them,

No consideration of God;

Don’t you see the problem?

 

 

We look like grasshoppers

in our own sight

And no doubt these giants

Will see us in the same light.”

 

Those giants were too big

Perhaps, even for God,

That’s what ten spies thought

But these were not all.

 

Two read it differently

And urged to possess the land,

They believed, unlike the other ten,

This was God’s command.

 

Well to cut to the chase

They preferred to go elsewhere

And wandered in the desert

For forty years.

 

 

God judged that generation

For their gross unbelief

And all but Joshua and Caleb

Became deceased.

 

None of that generation

Entered the promised land

But Caleb and Joshua,

Not another man.

 

Moses could only view it

From the summit of a mount

Of them that entered

He was not in that count.

 

 

The grasshopper mentality

Is still alive and well

And believers are reluctant

The Good News to tell.

 

The World are the giants

And we are the grasshoppers,

We’ve become so politically correct

The Gospel don’t seem proper.

 

Join them or be quiet

Appears to be the trend

Or simply engage in a show

Of let’s pretend.

 

Some call this hypocrisy

Others call it survival

But the grasshopper mentality

Is a more appropriate title.

 

The World is the field

Where the harvest is ripe

But to them we are grasshoppers

We continually gripe.

 

The Gospel is too good

To waste on these animals

God, come for your church

And save your people.

 

This world is getting worse

Even a blind man can see,

And in this ungodly confusion

Is no place to be.

 

 

We keep on forgetting

That we are salt and light

And the world will get worse

If we refuse to fight.

 

The difference is made

With each soul that is saved

When we carry out the command

Which the Saviour gave.

 

“Go ye therefore

And teach all nations!”

But there are giants in the land:

A gigantic obstruction.

 

 

The world is our Jericho

And God has empowered

But we look like grasshoppers

In their eyes and ours.

 

It’s the grasshopper mentality

That fills us with fear

Causing us to be as grasshoppers

In our eyes and in theirs.

 

Stewart Russell © November 20, 2020

 

Why Bother?

Why bother…

When Jesus is coming soon?

Why bother?

He could come morning, night or noon.

No bother, I say…

If he should come today,

I am wonderfully saved

And ready to be on my way.

Why bother…

 About what is going on?

Soon the Lord is going to come-

He could do so before dawn.

Why bother...

When nothing we can change?

The world is supposed to get worse

Because people are deranged.

Why bother…

About the trouble I see…

And sing all day long

That nobody knows it but me?

Why bother…

When Jesus is on his way?

Believe you me, you scoffers,

It could even be today.

Why bother…

When the time is drawing nearer?

Given the signs around

To me, it is definitely clearer.

Jesus is standing up

The writing is in the air,

Why bother…

When I have no need to fear?

Why bother…?

But he said, “Occupy till I come.”

Why bother…?

Because he gave you a great commission.

Why sit and recline

Without a care on your mind

Knowing full well

That this is “go and tell” time?

Why bother…?

Like seriously, are you kidding me?

Just waiting for Jesus’ return

Seems so silly.

Where would you be

If that believer did not bother

To tell you about Jesus

And instead had asked, “Why bother?”

 

Why bother…

To keep looking up into heaven

Instead of telling an earthly brother

That his sins can be forgiven?

Why bother…

To vegetate and lose sight of life

Just waiting for Jesus to return

To free you from earth’s strife?

You ask, “Why bother?”

Because there’s much work to do,

Being salt to the world

Is for me and for you too.

So, bother we should...

We are Christ’s lights in this world

To minister his word

Until the whole world has heard.

Stewart Russell © May 2020

Mere Speculation

Are these the last days?

How long do they last?

How much more must we go through?

How long before all this is passed?

Every era since Pentecost

Has claimed theirs was the last

And similarly, this present era,

We are getting there quite fast.

Every major incident these days

We try to connect with the Word,

Some Bible believing Christians

Even push this to the absurd.

 

We look intently on the skies

To see what is happening there

And we try to use that information

To prophesy when Jesus will appear.

“Wars and rumors of wars”

Is the state of our political world,

So, we use this current trend

To interpret God’s Holy Word.

Bible prophecy is like today’s news

As its prophecies are being fulfilled

And with every new development,

There is an exciting thrill.

But it has been shown in every era

That similar things were occurring

Yet, we believe it is more upscale now

Hence, Jesus is soon coming.

 

I have no doubt he will return

I can take him at his word,

But he said that we know not when

So, any predictions are absurd.

Notwithstanding all I’ve said,

That day should not take us unawares,

For the expected and unexpected

A good soldier always prepares.

If these of a truth are the last days

Then we should be upping our pace

At evangelizing and discipling

And telling all of God’s wondrous grace.

Instead, you would observe

That there is increasing neglect

And the propagation of the Good News

Is not pushed as we should expect.

There is little urgency in our steps

And concern for the peril of the unsaved,

If these are truly the last days

It is not showing in the way we behave.

We should be gathering in the harvest

Which is truly plenteous,

We should be making very sure

We’re telling everyone about Jesus.

Like John, the Baptizer,

We should be calling them to repent

But instead, we are hearing these days

Messages of little Gospel content.

We are redefining the Gospel

To make it what it is not

And if you want to be filthy rich

The church will give you your best shot.

 

Yet we say these are the last days

And Jesus will soon be back,

Maybe they are and maybe they’re not

None of us knows for a fact.

It’s speculation, mere speculation

And not what is needed at this time,

Instead, the Great Commission from Jesus

Should now be filling all our minds.

   

Go ye into the highways and byways,

In communities and on the Internet,

Tell them Jesus is the one to turn to

It they have not done so yet.

  

Rather than argue about his return

Tell all about his first advent,

And now commands this same Jesus

That today is the day to repent.

Tell them about their sin:

The bad news they don’t want to hear,

Then tell them of the good news:

Of the one who came our sins to bear.

In him is our hope and joy

Whenever he should come again,

However, now is the time to get on board

Get on board the Gospel train!

Stewart Russell © March 2020