There's No End in Sight, But There Is Today

We're almost to the end. Sycophantic corporations can go back to the logos (sans rainbows) they've used on products for the past eleven months. Cities can stop wasting taxpayer money on parades and debauched celebrations. Leadership can cease their virtue signaling, and Christians can crawl back into their holes. Wait! What?! Well, for those of you who have been white-knuckling it through the past 20-some days, squeezing your eyes together and repeating, Make it go away. Make it go away; and for those of you who, three hundred thirty-five days out of the year couldn't care less about standing up for what is morally right or what the Bible says but have been making the biggest stink over Pride and the lack of decency, the homosexual community is preparing to recede back into their quiet lives until next June. You may also.

Of course I'm being facetious. The homosexual community is not going anywhere any time soon. But let me be clear, when it comes to the part about Christians, I'm speaking to myself here --and not that I can extinguish my light or rest assured the world will suddenly be godly the remainder of the year. If I'm going to call myself a Christian, I have to always act like Christ. Jesus was always Jesus. His love for the Father never changed and, therefore, His message to sinners never changed. Hebrews 13:8 assures us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never put on airs or falsely ramped things up because He was in the presence of someone particularly heinous or perverse; He never backed it down because...well, He didn't want to offend anyone. He gave it to everyone straight; He is truth itself! If we are keeping quiet or increasing the intensity with which we speak up for any other reason than the Holy Spirit has commanded us, we are not only not imitating Christ, but we are being as disingenuous as the above-mentioned people pleasers. Scripture commands we love God and love others without exception. Our love for a just and holy God should compel us to desire and do His will on earth as it is in heaven. We should be doing all we can, twelve months out of the year to bring His kingdom to earth by delivering to everyone the message we received, the message of reconciliation to God through Christ Jesus. It should never be, Oh, the gays are back; we have to do something. It should always be that people need to hear the truth about Jesus that lives might be changed. We should never think to ourselves, I can't say anything these days; people are so touchy. We should always think of the eternal consequences of our silence and speak the truth in love.

So, yeah, this message is for those who call themselves by the name of Jesus the Christ --myself included (maybe, especially). There are twelve months in a year, twelve months in which the world needs to hear the truth of Jesus, twelve months in which we are called to be the ones to share it. Let's not get all hung up on what the advertisers or the legislators or the card companies or even the calendar decrees. Jesus says, 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you... (Matthew 28:19, 20),

for now is the accepted time; ...now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2, emphasis mine).