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| Volume 26 Number 2 February 2024 |
Page 6 |
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| Volume 26 Number 2 February 2024 |
Page 6 |
David Myers
Do you still believe in the promises of God when it comes to the future? Do you believe that the future is bright? Do you believe that a follower of Christ can live a quiet and peaceable life?
With those questions in mind, think about the apostle Paul living in the Roman Empire under the rule of the cruel and ruthless Nero. The apostle penned to Timothy, “Therefore I exhort [encourage] first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority [a prominent place], that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence [dignity]. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3 NKJV).
How could Paul possibly see better times ahead? If he hadn’t, he would not have encouraged Timothy and his brethren to pray for a “quiet and peaceable life.” If Paul were living today, do you think he would be pleased if his brethren painted a totally dark picture for the future? Going back in history, while the Berlin wall was still standing, freedom for many was just a dream, but that wall in East Germany came down. Yes, immorality, wars among nations, struggling marriages and all kinds of evil deeds exist, but our God the Savior is still our hope. He will return and we will see Him face to face (Revelation 1:7).
According to Paul in 1Timothy 2:4-6, we as Christians can believe (trust) that the only real hope for the world is the return of Jesus Christ. I don’t know when the Lord will come (Matthew 24:36), but while we all wait, we can continue to reach out to the world for Him and pray for its salvation. We can ask the Lord to lead the nations into paths of peace and prosperity. We can also do what we can to help people who are struggling in poverty. We can vote for leaders who uphold godly values.
Brethren, the answer is not withdrawing from the world but to make it be a better place to live. Believe it or not, better times are ahead (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)!
