Living with the last day in mind

I see the question "If you knew the Lord was coming tomorrow, what would you do today?" posted on social media often, especially by non-Lutheran family and friends. My reply without hesitation is: "Nothing different, as I am ready." How, as a WELS Lutheran, do I answer the inevitable follow-up questions? Comments always range from "Pray" and "Get Ready" to "Spread the Gospel." Shouldn't we already be doing those things?

I am with you in how I would react to such (hypothetical) news. If we take seriously the Bible’s instructions to live each day of life soberly (1 Peter 4:7), with prayerful watchfulness (Matthew 25:13; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8) and an urgency to spread the gospel (2 Corinthians 6:2), then such news of the Lord’s Second Advent will not change the focus of our daily living. Rather, there will be good reason to intensify those ongoing activities of prayer, personal preparedness and outreach.

Here is a little twist to that question: knowing (somehow) that the Lord was coming sometime tomorrow does not guarantee that I will be alive on the earth when that momentous event takes place. My earthly life might end at some point today, before “tomorrow” comes. Recognition of that leads me to live each day of life as God directs in his word. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).