Do you watch for the coming of the Lord? Do you think of it, do you delight in it? Does it mean anything to you? You must watch the unfolding events. The world won’t publish these things to you. The world is full of self-confidence, but you see with the eye of faith and the eye of discernment. Look at the unfolding scene. We are nearing the end; souls must be won. Our young must be trained up to find Christ and to see their need of him. There is so much for us to do. This is not a time for us to feather our nests. We have to count for the Lord and to be serving him. We must watch ourselves. Am I slipping into ease and comfort? Am I making roots too deep in this world, and drifting into its evil culture? Am I getting too comfortable? If I had lived 100 years ago, death would have been a constant reality all around me; my own life-span would have been shorter. But today with great medical advances (and they are wonderful and they are of God) there is a down-side. We all feel 1,000 miles away from death. We all feel that nearly everything can be cured and we have nothing to worry about and we become complacent in life. We have to watch ourselves that we still have Christian urgency and Christian priorities and the Lord’s service. We are surrounded by lost souls, people who may backslide, people who need our help, children who need our urgings and our good example. Watch for others and watch most of all for Christ.
‘Through the dark grey mist of morning,’ as the hymnwriter put it. Yes, you are a sentry and you are peering out. You watch for Christ’s appearance, in the mist and in the shadows. How do I watch for him? Well, I increase my desire for him. I see him in the word of God. Every time I read of Calvary I pause and I praise him for it and I thank him for all that he has done. I reflect: ‘What a Saviour to do such things for his people! What a Lord!’ Every time I read of his resurrection or any of his actions or miracles or words, I don’t just read them, I pause and I wonder at him. Every answer to prayer is noted and thanked.
What should our attitude be? Are we people who just spend our time thinking, ‘Oh, for the end; oh, for the coming of Christ; oh, for heaven, I don’t want to be here.’ We are like soldiers. If you sent a soldier overseas in World War II to fight for the country, then he would know his duty. ‘This is where I am posted, this is where I am to defend the line. This is where I am for the sake of my realm and my country. I don’t want to desert, but I do want to be home.’ Now this is the attitude of the Christian. We are posted in this place; we are saved by the grace of God. We will be here as long as we are required to be here.
Why was the apostle Paul such a strong believer? Why could he do all those missions and stand up to the punishment? His strength was here. He was watching and waiting. His mind was fixed on that great and coming day. Everything was done against that day for eternal glory. That is what makes us strong and helps us and inspires us and motivates us.