The Best Time to be Alive

Have you ever felt like the most exciting, dynamic life with God must have been lived by people of the past? This probably isn't the kind of thought most of us admit to others, but I'd be surprised if it weren't quite prevalent. 

Think of the OT patriarchs who heard God's voice, saw burning bushes, and received angelic visitations and prophetic declarations. Think of those who lived at the time of Jesus, walking with Him in the flesh, being healed by Him, watching Him heal others, hanging on His every word as He taught the crowds. Think of the baby church, working miracles by the Holy Spirit, being translated from here to there for the purpose of ministry like Philip the evangelist, healing people just by walking along and having your shadow fall on them. 

And what do we have today? Prayer and an ancient book. 

In an age when precious few folks are even readers anymore. 

So is that it, then? We read (or listen) to stories of those who actually had relationship with God, back when God interacted with people? We pray as best we can and hope there might someday be a change in circumstances--maybe? No, of course that's not it. But that's how it seems to many of us. Far too many of us live like that. I lived like that. 

No doubt it's the adversary who'd like us to believe we live in the worst of times. That we are the people God holds at a distance. But the truth is we live in the best of times! We have the completed canon of God-breathed Scripture. In almost every language on the face of the earth, many of those languages with multiple versions. In broadcasts, podcasts, webcasts, downloads, apps, videos, and blogs. The living word. 

Those earlier eras never had that. The partial word, yes; the works-in-progress, yes; but never the complete word. That's God's provision specifically to us. 

And we have the Holy Spirit living inside our born-again spirits. Not just theoretically or theologically. For real. First, the indwelling that began with the risen Jesus breathing on His disciples in the upper room, and then the baptism for power to minister that was first released at Pentecost. 

Those earlier eras never had that. The Holy Spirit temporarily came upon people, yes; but He didn't make His home inside them permanently. That's God's presence specifically with us.

We have the living word (Bible); the living Word (Jesus), the ultimate sacrifice Who completely fulfilled the law so sacrifice could cease; and the Holy Spirit living inside us to comfort, teach, convict, and guide. We have the things even angels long to look into (1 Peter 1:12).

And we have the successful evangelizing efforts of the 120 in the upper room, who turned the world upside down, backing us up. We didn't have to lay that groundwork. It was done before we got the baton.

People say the world is getting darker; they're not wrong. But for those walking in the light, it's the best time to be alive.