1 Peter 5:4 (a) — Today

And when the Chief Shepherd appears …

Summary: We often think of things that may happen in the future as happening ”someday.” Peter is not so vague. Talking about Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, Peter says ”when” he comes. It makes a difference!

Do you know what the difference between “someday” and “today” is? Besides one word being longer than the other? “Someday” is a day that never comes. “Today,” of course, is already here. 

When we talk about someday, we know deep down inside that we are being wishful. “Someday my ship will come in,” or “I’ll get to it someday” are common themes. When we talk about the return of Christ, we are in danger of falling into the same pattern. If we are not careful, “Jesus will come someday” can sound like wishful thinking. 

Notice how Peter says frames his statement. Peter says, “when the Chief Shepherd appears.” Speaking about a time when someone comes refers to a specific day. We can benefit from adopting Peter’s attitude about Christ’s return. 

So how long do we have to wait to meet Jesus? For most of us, it is the same length of time that those who came before us have had to wait: a lifetime. 

Death is one of those things that is easily pushed into the “someday” category. Even people who are very old don’t want to think about dying. Who does? 

One person who did was my dad. When I was in high school I remember him telling me that he expected to die when he was sixty-eight years old. I didn’t think much of it, but he did. He went on to make sure that his estate was prepared for the day of his departure. He even had a letter written with last-minute instructions in it. The week before he died, a few days before his sixty-eighth birthday, he took me down to the bank and showed me what was in the letter in the safety deposit box. It wasn’t much. He had written down some simple things to be aware of and a few things that would need to be taken care of when he passed. When the Lord took my dad, Dad left with a clear conscience. He had done everything he could think to do to prepare for that day. 

As believers, it is a good thing to make preparations like my dad did. We should all have a will, and our papers should be in order. Our next of kin should know where this stuff is, and it is good to go over it with them beforehand. There are also some other things we should be doing. When we meet our Lord, whether it is in the air at the Rapture or individually at the end of our material existence, we want to be ready. Jesus tells us why: 

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.” (Luke 12: 35-38)

The Chief Shepherd is coming. He will appear, not someday, but when he comes. “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today.’” (Hebrews 4:7(a)) When the Chief Shepherd comes, it will be today. We don’t know which today it will be, but it will be today. 

Application: Be ready. 

Food for Thought: How will you know if you are ready for when the Chief Shepherd appears?