“The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo”
Acts 27:18
Sometimes life appears like a storming sea and like physical storms on the sea life can be a harrowing experience.
Huge walls of water driven by powerful winds slamming into a ship for seafarers can be a scary experience. This is an unavoidable part of life on the water and such is life.
When we take a closer look at Acts 27:18, we see that even scary storms have their useful effects, we soon begin to focus and find out what life’s real priorities are. This was the experience of many during the lockdown that followed the pandemic.
This same principle applies to us if we want to ride the storm of the latter days. We have to set aside all that does not glorify the Kingdom and embrace all that is of Kingdom purpose that we may escape the storm in these end-times.
The Bible’s ordered priority is about seeking the Kingdom and its righteousness and not fretting over the cares of life and once this priority is achieved our welfare will follow us.
To this effect Luke 21:36 says : “ Keep watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
What are all these things? They are the elements of the increasing storm of life that troubles both the Christian and the unbeliever alike.
They are, among many other things, the worldwide financial crash, which the Bible calls the beginning of sorrows; cultural changes that are an abomination to God like same sex marriages and abortion rights, violence in the earth like increasing terrorism as in the days of Noah and now we have a novel pandemic called COVID-19.
Jesus talks about the end times saying it will be similar to the unbelieving days of Noah where the people were only focused on social issues and less about spiritual development.
“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”(Matt. 24:29-39).
Just as these things begin to increase many hearts will be weighed down with discouragement and fear and therefore are unable to spiritually position themselves to ride the storm, nor effectively witness for God.
As these events begin to gather like a storm and begin to slam into many lives the Bible says “men’s hearts will fail them from fear and from the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” Luke 21:26
Knowing these things then, what manner of men and women are we to be ? We have to be like watchmen and not get carried away by these events or the expectations of what would come.
In Luke 21:34 we find Jesus’ simple exhortation about surviving the storms of the end times: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
The keys to surviving the end times is a single minded focus on Jesus and less and less on the attraction of the world. The end time crisis may be a sign of distress for the world but for the Christian they are a sign of hope and deliverance.
Jesus says : “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28
