“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” – Matthew 24:27

Christ will return one day and there will be no mistaking it when He comes. He will not return quietly, sneaking in under the radar. All will see and know and then it will be too late for them to trust in Him as Lord and Savior.

This world is not all there is and we need to stop living and thinking like it is. For followers of Jesus, our forever future is a renewed heaven and earth filled with God’s presence. For everyone else the future is living the eternal fruit of sin and rebellion separated from God’s presence in the agony of hell.

These are realities we must live in light of, rather than functionally acting like things will pretty much going to keep going as they are. We must prioritize the work of God, because only that will last. We must have urgency about inviting people into the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We must stop expecting this world to be made perfect by human leaders or efforts and instead put our hope in Christ and our eternal home. We must certainly care deeply for the most vulnerable around us and work for greater justice, but we must also remember that this world will remain corrupt and fallen until Christ returns to renew it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” – Matthew 23:23

It’s very easy to carefully follow all the “rules” and etiquette of “proper” church life yet completely miss the heart of God! That was the problem for the scribes and Pharisees who went above and beyond in their concern for appropriate tithing, even tithing herbs from their garden. Yet their hearts were cold toward other humans created in God’s image.

While deeply concerned with their own righteousness, they didn’t care about the injustice all around them. They didn’t have a bit of mercy toward those who were less able to navigate the written and unwritten rules of 1st century religious life, nor were they generous with their time or treasure to help those in need. Their hearts were also cold toward God, because they ultimately felt responsible for their own right standing before God. Such a mindset is a terrible lie convincing us we don’t really need God, He needs us.

We may never put words to these thoughts, but they can become dangerous assumptions undermining our own spiritual lives. We can be so satisfied with our own progress in holiness that we forget our deeply sinful nature and God’s infinite grace and mercy that pulled us out of that sin through faith in Jesus Christ. We can be so pleased with ourselves and how we “made it on our own” that we lack mercy for those struggling with poverty, addiction, or mental or physical illnesses and disabilities. Guard your heart and thoughts, lest this woe fall upon you too!

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39

We like to make things complicated, but Jesus makes things simple: love God with every part of your being all the time and love literally everyone you encounter as you love yourself. It’s clear, concise, and comprehensive. All of us, all people, all the time.

But it certainly isn’t easy! To love God with all our heart, soul, and mind when those parts would really rather love ourselves is a huge challenge and won’t happen by accident. It requires discipline developed from really knowing and seeking the Lord through Jesus Christ. It requires an active choice for God no matter what pops up, no matter what situation we’re in, no matter how much we might disagree with God’s plans. It requires focus, determination, and yes, genuine love!

Loving our neighbors can be even harder, because they can so unlovable. That’s the point, it doesn’t matter who they are, we need to love them anyway, just as God loves us no matter who we are! We must love our neighbors because they were created in God’s image just like us. Period.

It can be easy for Christians to emphasize one of these at the expense of the other: either claiming to love God but not really caring about those He created in His image, or busily loving people and using that as an excuse to reimagine God and not love Him as He is. Neither of these is an option – as followers of Christ, we must diligently obey both these commandments!

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
– Psalm 18:2

Let this be your song when the earth shakes and the people around you quake. Let this be your song when everything around you is spinning and changing faster than ever before. Let this be your song when you feel lost and alone, hurt and betrayed, broken and surrounded on all sides. Let this be your song in the face of disaster, disease, disability, and death.

All other foundations for our lives will crumble under pressure. All other deliverers will fail us. All other refuges will either trap us or leave us unexpectedly vulnerable. All other shields will break. All other strongholds will fall apart. All other salvations will fall far short of the salvation we truly need.

Take time to reflect on what your life is built upon. If it isn’t truly built on God but is instead built on self, status, wealth, career, or other people, it’s time to rebuild! Build your life upon the rock. Live in obedience and faithful dependence on Jesus Christ.

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:26-28

Leadership among, by, and for Christians MUST look different from leadership in any other situation. Christian leadership is servant leadership. A leader must set the example of service and sacrifice for the well-being of these he or she leads. Christian leadership should never look harsh, arbitrary, or dictatorial. Christian leadership must never be about the perks, benefits, titles, or respect due the leader, but about what the leader can give away of him or herself in serving the group.

We’re able to lead this way because this is how Jesus leads us. Jesus Christ, the eternal and all-powerful Son of God, took on a human nature and body and walked among us to lead us into new life and new creation. But that leadership is through the suffering and humiliation of the cross on which He died. Because there was nothing He didn’t give of Himself to serve and save His flock, He calls and empowers every Christian leader to do the same.

So whether you’re leader of one or two, a leader of ten or twenty, or a leader of hundreds, are you leading like Jesus? Is your leadership humble and sacrificial? Are you excited to serve those you lead or have you slipped into thinking they should serve you?