But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. 2 Timothy 3:1-5
For professional baseball fans this is the most important time of the year, the playoffs and then, the World Series. For Nanas and Pappys, watching the grandchildren play beats the playoffs every time. My lack of professional expertise provides the perfect opportunity to remain silent at games, while listening to families encouraging the players, and dodging the occasional foul ball.
But last week was different. Another Grandfather pulled his lawn chair up alongside my husband’s and they started a discussion. Sitting near the dugout, the two Pappys began engaging with their grandsons about pitchers tipping pitches, while mixing in folklore and embellishments. The one Pappy was reminiscing about Shoeless Joe Jackson and his ability to track down a batted ball by the sound the ball made hitting the bat.
Explaining the need for practicing to the players, he said Shoeless Joe practiced listening till he could tell where the ball was going coming off the crack of the bat. The other Pappy agreed the players would benefit from more practice but with the metal bats they now use, players will need special ears to hear where the ping of the bat will take the ball.
In his last letter, Paul, while generally thought to be awaiting execution in a Roman prison, addresses the signs of the times in the last days with a strong sense of urgency to the believers at Ephesus. The last days began with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after the Holy Spirit came upon believers at Pentecost. The last days will continue until His second coming. We are living in the last days, and for many, they are seeing times of difficulty.
We all know people Paul is describing in the verses, do we have an urgency for their souls? Or do we see them as too far gone for salvation? The Holy Spirit can plow through the deepest of dirty ditches for the lost soul! In the Book of Revelation, Jesus speaks to the seven churches about having ears to hear what He is saying. As believers, we must be careful to prioritize, to listen for His calling on our lives more than learning to listen for the track of a ball.
The church at Ephesus was much like our modern churches, it was full of sinners. We must live in God’s will for our lives, setting ourselves apart from the ways of the wicked world. By casting a wide net for the lost, if we are not praying and seeking God, the netting can get tangled up in our lives, sinking us and our witness. Of course, there is also the issue of being comfortable without true commitment, which brings us to the question, “Do I love God more than my way of life?”
Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing but the body is weak. Matthew 26:41
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
Our enemy will try to drown us in distractions to keep us from hearing directions from God. He is a liar and deceiver, twisting God’s Holy Word. And like our ears, our eyes should be focused straight ahead, never veering left or right, concentrating solely on a Highway to Holiness!
And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway to Holiness. Evil minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there. Isaiah 35:8
Complacency is the crippler of a Christian’s commitment, with tomorrow, or soon, the answer to chronic sin. Jesus made a point to warn the people about the signs of the times, but they continued to ignore His warnings.
“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:38-39
There is no one who has heard the stories, or seen the devastation of Hurricane Helene, who has not grieved for the people affected. These stories have stirred the soul of America to action. There is an urgency for their survival and America will not let them down. I am praising God for those brave committed men and women who are helping in the aftermath of the storm.
But for those who perished, those who were believers, they have gone to their heavenly homes. They are free from sickness and disease, free from man’s inhumanity to man, and free from these ever-increasing natural disasters. For those who remain, we can comfort them and offer them our love, the hands and feet of Jesus.
There are two outs in the ninth inning in the last days of this season, with eternity on the line. It all comes down to one decision, will you be prideful, or call on the Big Hitter to carry you to victory?
When faced with threats of beatings and death from the lawyers and religious leaders, Peter and John responded, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”