Last Days
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
Today’s Text: 2 Timothy 3:1-9 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Can it be said that we live in such times now? And if so, does that mean we are in the “last days?”
Truth be told, those “terrible” attributes reflect every generation and every society to some degree. And I think that every generation of believers tends to feel like their generation may be the worst of all. Even so, I feel like the present times are objectively quite “terrible,” based on the list above.
Whatever the case, maybe it is wise, generally speaking, to have a mindset that says, “Yes, we are living in the last days.” Because we never know when the “last days” are actually going to come, and there is always plenty of evidence to suggest that it is close, or that it is here.
And besides, whether the last days come today or 10,000 years from now, our own last days will come soon enough.
I went to my regular Wednesday pastors’ prayer breakfast for the Long Beach Harbor association this morning. One pastor came who was about 86-87 years old. He has a son who is older than me! But he was still so vibrant and full of life and joy. It was so encouraging just to be around him, joking and laughing with him.
For sure, that pastor is in his last days, whether humanity is in THE last days or not. But who knows? He might outlive me! Either way, sooner or later, we will all enter into our own “last days.”
Such reflections might seem depressing for some people. Shouldn’t we be focusing on good times instead of “terrible times?” Shouldn’t we be focusing on life instead of death? Well, yes, that is exactly the point.
Generally speaking, people are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” And when the word of God says, “Have nothing to do with such people,” what God is telling us is, “Don’t be like any of that.”
Rather, with the limited number of days we have (especially if we are being wise and consider ourselves to be in the last days!), we ought to be “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
And how do we make the most of every opportunity in terrible, evil days?
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— Ephesians 5:18-20
Oh, and then it says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Living in that way is to have a form of godliness that proclaims and reflects the power of God.
Father, You are God Almighty. All things are in Your hands, including my very life. You have made a way for me to have eternal life in loving fellowship with You. Thank You for calling me into Your kingdom. Forgive me whenever I practice a form of godliness that denies the power of the cross. Continue to work Your power in me. But show me Your power. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
