“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Mark 13:32
I don’t know about you, but I want to know. I don’t just want to know; I want to be in the know. There’s power when you know something, especially when others don’t. The amount of power and prestige is related to how many people know versus how many people want to know. The other part of the equation is how desperately they want to know..
· If you know and no one else in interested, then there’s no power.
· If you know and everyone else is interested, then there’s lots of power.
It’s a badge of strength and honor. It shows that you’re in on the inside and everyone else is on the outside. It shows that you’ve got “juice” and they don’t. We’ve got the “skinny” when others don’t.
There are some things that are private too. They are too private to talk about with anyone. There are some things about life that are so precious that they’re not to be shared. There are some things about my life that, no matter how much I love you, no matter how much you pay me, no matter how much you beg me, I’m not going to tell you.
These private parts of life may be off-limits, out of bounds for others, but that’s part of what makes them precious. Gives them value. Some of these hidden parts of life may be deeply personal, private, embarrassing, troubling.
That’s part of what makes these things precious. They’re not well known. There’s an increased in value when there’s less of it. Whether it’s jewelry, baseball cards, vintage cars, you name it. The fewer there are, combined with how much people want something, drives value up.
But many wonder why God would want to keep the day of his return a secret. But not just a secret, the best well-kept secret of all time. No one knows. Not people. Not angels. Not even Jesus. Only the Father knows, and there’s nothing that anyone can do, say, or pray to pry it out of him.
And there’s a very good reason why God keeps this date a secret. More than making it precious, it’s for our benefit. Keeping this date confidential gives us a godly incentive for worship and obedience. We’re to stand and stay at our post. At the task he’s given us.
If we knew the date, we’d be tempted to take our eyes off the one who made us. The one who loves us. The one who’s coming for us. We’d be tempted to sluff off our God-given calling and responsibilities, taking our eyes off the prize. Instead of being every watchful, every vigilant, always on our guard, we’d relax and sit back. We’d take it easy and not be about our Father’s business.
So, what’s wrong with that? I’ll tell you what’s wrong with that.
It’s not being like who God is or how he made us. God is our faithful Heavenly Father, and he’s always, always, always looking out for us. Always protecting us. Always loving us. Always reaching out to and for us.
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48
Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
Leviticus 19:2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children
Ephesians 5:1
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5
This isn’t to be a forced, paid obedience, done in order to earn blessings or avoid punishment. It’s not to get God’s attention. To show him, the world, and yourself how great, spiritual, and holy you are.
No, it’s done in response to who God is. His love for us. What he’s done. He’s the one who not only made us, he reinitiated the relationship. Reengaged with us. He’s the one who paid the price. He’s the one who reached out and is still reaching out to us.
We NEVER initiate the relationship with God. He ALWAYS is the initiator.
And doesn’t that take the pressure off of us to perform? To be perfect? It fills our heart with thankful praise, and loving, responsive obedience. We want to do what he says because it pleases the one who first loved us. And we love in return.
No one knows this kind of love without Jesus. It’s not about us. It’s all about him.
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