Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Matthew 24:40, “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.”

Background

Last night, we went to bed having no electricity in the house. The final preparations for sleep all had to be done illuminated by flashlight. There was no soft glow from the night light in the hallway, no falling asleep with the television on. So when that final flashlight was turned off, it was eerily dark. Sometime later, who knows what time it was, my youngest daughter came in through the dark, whimpering as she was looking for her mom, claiming that she was supposed to come and lay down with her. The strange part was that her mom was not lying in bed, which was the last place I had seen her some hours ago. I clicked on the flashlight as my daughter left the room, seemingly as confused as she was by the deep darkness and apparent missing person. And for a moment, thoughts of the rapture and Jesus coming to receive His children and leave behind the rest filled my mind. The fullness of the darkness and my sad, wandering daughter worked with my grogginess to create this brief image of being on the outside of those called home. It was a powerful, impressive instant where this passage of God’s Word popped in my mind.

Application

Two people together, and one is gone while the other is left. That’s half going with Jesus, and half staying behind. Is that a good percentage to you? If half of everything that you said and did was doomed or failed or a waste of time, would you consider that a success? If not, where is that threshold of acceptability? What amount of failure is acceptable to you? What level of success is your target? Do you spend your day doing what you can and hoping for the best, or is there a purpose and intent as you go from person to person, impacting their life and leaving a little of yourself behind? It’s clearly written that we don’t know when Jesus will return. It’s also clear that we don’t know how much we might affect those we encounter. Since we are dealing with such important unknowns, it makes sense for us to focus as much as we can on what Jesus focused on. He sought all, so let us do no less.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to steer you to the other half. Take to them what Jesus has to offer, whatever state they might be in, and let His grace work to bring more home.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words