if you knew...

I want you to ask yourselves a question that's unfortunately been made into a cliche.  This cliche, like so many cliches, is a cliche because there is a great deal of truth embedded in it.  So, the challenge is to get past the surface level garbage and our own pre-understandings in order for that truth to actually wash over us and change us.

So, here's the (cliche) question:

How would you live your life differently if you knew that Jesus was coming back tomorrow?

Can you hear the cliche sirens sounding?

Let's silence them by asking ourselves this same question from a different perspective.  In fact, let's silence them with Jesus' perspective to this very question.

From Luke 12:

43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ' My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Read that a few times before you continue with this post.  Seriously.

Yeah... Jesus said that.

For those of us who believe that Jesus is going to return here to earth, who call Jesus our "Lord and Savior," who gather to worship him every weekend, we're guilty of thinking that we can pretty much live any old way we like and still be guaranteed a warm welcome in the sky.

But here's the thing: Jesus doesn't turn a blind eye to those of us who are beating up on someone else.

As a matter of fact, if you're guilty of beating on someone else, he's itching to give you the beating of your life.

So let's rephrase our question:

If you knew that Jesus was coming back tomorrow with one eye on your life laid bare, and one eye on his justice, what would you stop doing today?

Here's what I bet:

I bet you would stop bickering.

I bet you would stop complaining.

I bet you'd start picking your battles a lot more carefully.

I bet you'd stop hoarding your money.

I bet you'd stop playing the victim.

I bet you'd stop accusing, attacking, or judging.

I bet you'd stop letting the first thing that came to your mind come out of your mouth.

I bet you'd stop justifying yourself.

I bet you'd stop all of those things, and probably go over your life with a fine-tooth comb trying to figure out if there was anything else that you needed to stop doing, start doing, or make right.

Remember when your mom said to you, "Just wait until your father gets home?"  Remember that sickening feeling in your stomach?  Remember the dread that you felt as you watched the clock, knowing that you had something coming to you, and that you deserved what was coming to you?

It's kinda like that.