One of John Wesley’s favorite texts to preach from was ‘Today is the Day of Salvation’— 2 Cor. 6.2. It was also one of my Grandfather’s favorite verses. Here are his reflections.
When Jesus started his ministry, he didn’t take a text from the Old Testament, rather he started where the people were, with their concerns about plowing, cooking, fishing, farming, or whatever, in order to lead them to a place where they would face up to the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Today we need equal flexibility. We need to be concerned with the problems of today’s people. You have to find out where a person lives, mentally and spiritually before you can show him how Jesus relates to his life. The early Christians were varied in the methods they used. We should be equally varied. Sometimes people get hung up on methods and techniques that are perhaps wrong, so we should always be flexible in our thoughts and actions, and take stock of our lives.
While our world is shaking and perhaps crumbling in some areas, we need to realize that one thing will never change and that is God. He is the same today as he was thousands of years ago, and he will be the same thousands of years in the future. We are only here a few years and are gone, but our Lord will endure forever, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.
Nothing takes God by surprise. Things are moving according to a plan. God has a plan and the Devil has a plan and we must accept one or the other. There is no middle ground. The time we can invest for God is today. We only have today. We are here now but what of tomorrow? Time has an urgency about it. Our news analysts tell us every day how evil the days are– terrorism, muggings, rapings, shooting and bombings are taking place in every part of the world.
The Scripture tells us to redeem our time today. What are you doing with the short time you have on earth? Jesus had exactly the same amount of time every day that each of us have, his life was urgent, and yet he walked in peace with a calm serenity. There were people to be healed, to be fed, to be trained. There was a Gospel to be preached and lives to be changed. Yet Jesus had only three short years to do it all, and he was never in a hurry. We have all eternity to celebrate our victories but only one short day in which to win them.
When Jesus was dying on the cross, he had time for a thief who said Lord remember me, that’s all the records show. What he was really saying was I’m unworthy, I’ve broken all the laws, I deserve hell. Jesus turned to him as said ‘Today, you will be with me in Paradise.’ When Jesus died, God took your sins and mine and laid them on Jesus.
During Jesus’ ministry, he said ‘I must do the work of Him who sent me today for ‘the night cometh when no one can work’. Today is the day of salvation.
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