Is it time?
by Mark Gierus
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‘Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you do not know how to interpret this present time?’ (Luke 12:56)
Read Luke 12:49–56
Are you a gardener or someone who likes the great outdoors? Do you check the weather to see what the new day will bring? Will it rain or be hot? Do you read the signs of what nature is doing?
Jesus told the people of his day that they could interpret the basic things of nature, such as the clouds that bring rain, yet they were unable to understand the times in which they lived. The times of brokenness, sin, division, hate and hurt.
Jesus says that to us today in the same words. Do you know how to interpret the present times? Do you see the sin in the world, the disobedience to God, the selfish living, the hurt, the division, even in our own church? Do you know what time it is? The time is to repent and believe – to turn back to Jesus and hear his word of grace, love, hope and peace.
Jesus tells us he will come again to take us to be with him forever, and he tells us to be ready for when he returns to find us doing his work.
His work is simply living a life of repentance, or an ongoing turning back to him when we sin, when we fail in our best efforts to live a good life in his name. The time to repent is always at hand, just as the time to serve the Lord is. Jesus calls us to a life of faith, to follow him where he leads. He reminds us when we sin and contribute to the brokenness and division of the world to repent and turn back to him, where he receives us lovingly and forgives our sins, for he died on the cross for us all.
Dear Jesus, help us to clearly see that in the division and brokenness of the world, you call us daily to repent, to turn back to you and to fix our eyes on you. In our repentance, help us hear your words of forgiveness again. Change our hearts so that we see things through your eyes and love others in their brokenness and in times of division. Amen.
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