Behold! Today
Behold! Today.
There are some individual words and short phrases in Scripture that need to be highlighted as they are read, words or phrases that are significant or point to something meaningful. Some phrases might be: Fear not. Here I am. Woe to you. One another. And maybe some words are: Amen. Hallelujah. Blessed. Abba. Come. The word Behold! is one of those significant words, an exclamation that is intended to get our attention. Listen, people, this is something you need to hear! Behold says to the audience, Look at this and take note! You would be wise to remember these words and think about them! Careful now, don’t be deaf to what I am about to say! Stop what you’re doing and listen up! As the Eastern Orthodox Christians say before they read the Gospel in the Liturgy… Attend! The following verse begins with Behold! So the words that follow must be important.
“Behold! Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. The right time to be saved is right now. Today is the day to be delivered by your Savior.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Yes, waiting for a deathbed confession could work, if you are fortunate enough to have a death bed and the ability to think clearly. Yes, you can finally embrace your forgiveness at the last minute like the thief on the cross, if you actually have a last minute that provides that opportunity. In both cases, you have succeeded in wasting your life, living your life without the joy of experiencing complete forgiveness, or the fulfillment of loving others profoundly and being loved by others unconditionally. When you give your life to Christ at the last minute, you have gone through your life without the possibility of true character development, of knowing you are at peace with God. You have not experienced the warmth of Christian fellowship and acceptance, or the exulted rapture found in worshiping the Lord God in Spirit and in truth. You have not thought with the mind of Christ nor enjoyed an inspiring intellectual life that finds such satisfaction in learning deep truths. You have not experienced the deep joy that comes when in union with others who will partner with you through life’s ups and downs. So why punish yourself? Why refuse Christ at this point in your life? Why wait for the last moment when that may never consciously come? Why go through life unfulfilled and dissatisfied at a spiritual level, with the profound sense that you have missed out on something wholesome and good in your life? Behold, now is the opportune time. Now is the acceptable time to embrace your salvation. Why miss out on the kind of life God intended you to live? And now, forgetting your past life for now, what about your future after you die? Do you really believe there is nothing to life after death? Or perhaps could this life be a joyful preparation for the life to come? Trusting in the Lord will bring you face-to-face with Jesus. And a life that will never end in fellowship with Him and all believers. Now that is something to look forward to.