Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth".... 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
This passage of scripture is especially pertinent to those of us Christians who are living in predominantly secular countries, where the very concept of God is abhorred, and where the works of man take precedence over anything of a spiritual nature. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and with the prospects of wealth and pleasure on every side, it is easy for those who are not focused on Christ to become overwhelmed with the prevailing godlessness, which imperceptibly eats away at our vital connection with God, if we permit. This is why the above passage cautions us to beware, lest the coming of The Son of Man, creeps upon us without us knowing that it is happening, for the humdrum of everyday life can push the realities of heaven into being a mere figment of our imagination, instead of them being in the forefront of our minds, where they belong.
Even though we are living in a professedly Christian land, yet the secularism and materialism that pervades the air is of the tenor to drive God, and things of a spiritual nature, further and further away from our thoughts. The typical day begins not with prayer, but with the morning news, with titles such as "Good morning America" and "New day" on CNN, and instead of God being first and foremost on our minds, we are bombarded with mostly bad news, and many advertisements that call our attention to the temporal and the vile. Then throughout the day we get updates from Wall street about our monetary and material investments, which feed into our financial paranoia, with even a gauge to measure fear and greed.
Then in the afternoon, when the evening sacrifice should be on our minds, we are again overwhelmed with a plethora of television shows and reality Tv, which deal with everything from justice to sex, and from scandals to comedy, but Jesus Christ and heavenly things are somehow cleverly left out. And so it is that the very environment we live in is set up in such a manner to foster forgetfulness of God, hence the reason why Christ cautions those Christians living in secular countries to "Beware".
"Beware", lest our 401k's become all-absorbing, and our minds become dead set on retiring on earth, for where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also. "Beware", lest in the pursuit of gain, Jesus is moved into second position, where our relationship and service to Him becomes a matter of convenience, whenever we have spare time. "Beware", lest in gaining an education, we forget the source of all true knowledge, for the human tendency is to think less and less of God as we become more and more highly educated. And finally, "Beware", lest we be deceived into thinking that all is well with our souls, when indeed we might be miserable and poor and blind and naked.
We therefore end with a caution from God, specifically addressed to Christians living in secular countries, for it is God's will that we live in the world, but not be worldly minded to the utter detriment of our souls. Let's read:
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what The Spirit saith unto the churches. God bless!