I’m amazed but no longer surprised when I see people
ignoring sometimes very obvious warning signs.
In our relationships, our businesses, our finances and our health there
are sometimes very obvious warning signs that should not be ignored.
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to two young people about their relatively short tenure as a married
couple. Their marriage was in serious
trouble and from the very beginning there were a number of warning signs that
disaster was probable if not absolutely certain. Warning signs like too much credit card
debt, abuse of alcohol and drugs, as well as verbal abuse were obvious to family and
friends around them but were ignored.
Just before Jesus went to the cross on Calvary he warned
his followers: “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken
of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader
understand ), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! A man on the
housetop must not come down to get things out of his house. And a man in the field must not go back to
get his clothes. (Matt 24:15-18)
History records in great detail the horrific destruction
of Jerusalem in AD 70. However, many of
Christ’s followers were aware of this warning and left the city prior to the
siege. Later in the same chapter of
Matthew, Jesus tells us, "Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your
Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief
was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.
This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect."
Being ready for the return of Jesus Christ is also a warning. It is a warning for all of us that we are not to get too comfortable with our day-to-day life. We should live each day with the anticipation that there is something better, Someone greater that is coming.
