Busted!
Saturday, around five or six o'clock.
That's what my parents gave me as the official returning time from their camping trip. Notice I said their camping trip, not my camping trip. Formerly my brother and I had always gone, but now my bro was in college, and I – being an amazingly mature and humble teenager – was allowed to stay at home for the week and hold down the fort.
And hold it down I did … all week … except for the last part of the week, when my friends decided my house was the best house to house a party, since all potential party poopers had departed … so PAR-TEH! WOOT!
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By the wee hours of Saturday morning the inside of my house looked roughly like the images you might see on the weather channel after a tornado has hit a community. There were enough pop cans on the floor to make a sizable recycling profit and enough chips in the carpet to feed a small village.
Of course, I, being the temporary governor of my domicile, declared it a state of emergency - but it was actually no big deal since I had all day Saturday to put the humpty dumpty home back together again.
So I headed out for a late morning bike ride to get some fresh air before jumping in to the gigantic task before me. As I neared the end of my trek and the disaster area formerly known as my house came into view, a very different feeling came into my head. Pulling into the driveway a full three hours ahead of time was a camper. Not just any camper – in fact I wish it was any other camper except for the one containing MY PARENTS! AAAAARGH!
Panic, nausea, and then the serene feeling one might get when impending death is near. To this day I still remember a voice in my head whispering "run to the light." Of course my whisper back was: "I see dead people … and one of them is me."
It probably goes without saying that I wasn't soon left in charge of the folks' house for quite some time – and when I did gain their trust again, I kept my home in order ALL the time in case of a surprise return.
Speaking of surprise returns, there's one coming for you as well:
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come … So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42, 44)
Jesus is talking about the incredible and startling day that He returns to earth. He is not saying when this will happen, just that it will happen.
You've been put in temporary charge of your life – and remember that it's really not your life, it belongs to Jesus. He purchased it with His blood on the Cross, and until He comes back to claim His own, you and I are "holding down the fort" of our soul.
So what's the condition of your spiritual house? Is there enough recycled sin for Satan to make a sizable profit for his kingdom? Are the chips of anger, bitterness, lust, pride, and rebellion ground into the fabric of your spirit?
One day – probably sooner than we think, and definitely when we least expect it – Jesus will appear, and we'll have to explain the condition of our souls. For some there will be a feeling of panic and nausea, because they thought they had plenty of time to get ready. For others there will be a deep sense of relief that they kept a clean house by keeping a close relationship with Christ … so close in fact that the day He came back was not much different than any other day.
If your house is need of a serious clean up, let me introduce you to some spiritual bleach that will get your spirit white as snow:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)
Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews 9:14)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2)
Confess ... be purified … be a living sacrifice and be transformed. Safe for everyday use. Apply liberally. Repeat as necessary.
Do these things on a daily basis so that on the day Christ returns, He'll be pleased and you'll be proud!
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with to provide resources for youth leaders and students. Dare 2 Share exists to energize and equip teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries or the GameDay youth conference tour, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
