It’s not the end of the world! Ever had someone tell you that? I think that phrase has a way of putting things in perspective. Bad hair day? It’s not the end of the world. Miss your bus to school or your ride to work? It’s not the end of the world. Break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend? It’s not the end of the world. Lose your job? It’s not the end of the world. Your house burns down and you lose everything you own? Even that is not the end of the world.

A little over thirty years ago in October a tornado or straight line winds (not sure which one) hit our home in Sherman, doing extensive damage. Thankfully, our young children were spending the night with their grandmother, so it was just Cheryl and I at home. We were not injured, but there was a lot of clean up and repairs that needed doing after that. Three years ago, a similar storm roared through the Bells area where we now live. This time, our home was spared, but our barn and our pontoon boat were casualties. While not something we wanted or were hoping for, it was certainly not the end of the world!

There are some serious issues in our world today and plenty of “chicken littles” running around screaming “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!” Politics, pandemics, illegal immigrants, unemployment, shortage of consumer goods. What should be the Christian response? Should we simply proclaim, “It’s not the end of the world?”

While we need to keep things in proper perspective, we should also remember that Jesus tells us the end of the world is coming, and none of us one knows when that will be.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back–whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: `Watch!’ ” (Mark 13:32-37)

We are told to be alert, on guard, always ready for it. So many times we say to each other, “It’s not the end of the world.” What about when it is? What about when the Last Day does come? You need to be alert and prepared, but that preparation does not come through storing up treasures on earth or seeking immortality through science and technology.

The preparation you need comes from knowing who Jesus is. He is the one who came to us as the son of a human mother to redeem us who were under the guilty verdict of the Law. He is the one who has made you sons and daughters of God. Suffering and dying on the cross at Golgotha, Jesus Christ has freed you from the verdict of death. He ended the power of death over you. Even when the end of the world comes for you, you know that it is not the end, because He has opened the gates to eternal life to all who by the Spirit’s power bend the knee to Him as Savior and Lord. So you can stand before your judge with confidence, knowing the price for sin has been paid and you have forgiveness.

More thoughts on this tomorrow.