Hurry!

I am reading the book of Mark, and one thing I have noticed right away is his sense of urgency.

“At once” and “immediately” appear repeatedly throughout the book, but especially in the first chapter.  In other chapters, Mark tells of Jesus warning His disciples to be ready for His return.   

The people of Jesus’ time thought the end of the world was just around the corner.  They believed that one day they would literally look up and see their Christ in the clouds, coming to get them.  There was much to be done and not a whole lot of time to do it.

We don’t have that urgency, do we?  Obviously, the second coming did not occur 2,000 years ago.  And just as obviously, it hasn’t occurred anytime since.

We know how to hurry, though.  Hurry to work, hurry to shop, hurry to church, hurry, hurry, hurry!  And sometimes, at the end of the day, it seems like nothing has really been done.  We’re kind of on automatic.  Especially this time of year with all the details of getting Thanksgiving and Christmas locked into our calendars.

The Second Coming feels far, far away.

So why even have a sense of urgency?  Why hurry to do God’s will? 

Because Jesus said so. 

 “Be on your guard, constantly alert,” Jesus warns us.  “Watch and pray,” He says to us now.

Because if we believe that the Word of God is a living thing, that the Word of God is Christ Himself, then it naturally follows that we believe that our Savior is speaking to us now.

Will we stop our hurrying around long enough to even realize the need to watch and pray?

I hope so.  It seems to me that almost any problem appears to be less of a problem when we turn our eyes to Jesus and keep them there.  For there we will find comfort, wisdom, and fulfillment. 

Wouldn’t it be great to look up and see Him coming for us?  The way the world is going, I’m thinking He’s at least packing his bags and getting ready. 

We need to be ready, too.  We need to feel that urgency that keeps us going, the motivation that comes from the forewarning we have received.  We need to spread the Gospel as much as we can and keep at it until the Second Coming or until we return to our Creator.

A word to the wise is sufficient…

But of that day or that hour not a [single] person knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.                    Mark 13:32-33 (AMP)