I was deliciously comfortable in my warm bed. The sun had risen recently. But my bedroom was still only dimly lit because of its heavy curtains.

Then, with no warning, a loud siren screamed. I jumped up, startled! The siren was nearby, but I couldn’t tell exactly where.

My wife said, “They have a rifle!”. I told her, “Get back from the window!”. Nevertheless, she stayed there, taking pictures with her phone.

I stood back from the window, catching glimpses of what was going on. A police car was under my bedroom window, sitting in the narrow lane that separates us from the townhouse that the police were surrounding.

I saw two police officers. One displayed his big revolver prominently. The other held his rifle in both hands, obviously wanting to intimidate and deter anyone who thought about shooting at the police.

Scary!

My wife (still standing in the window to get a better view) saw a third officer. She told me was walking around with a clipboard.

From my position staying back from the window, I couldn’t see that third officer. I surmised that the police were executing a search warrant, checking off the items that the court had authorized them to seize.

No shots were fired. The police behaved calmly and professionally. Kudos to the San Jose Police Department!

We were told later that the police led someone out of the townhouse in handcuffs.

Within a few days, the townhouse was emptied of its belongings. We don’t know what has become of its residents.

The suddenness of the whole thing led me to think about Jesus telling us to always watch for the end of the age. (Matthew 24:1-51; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36).

Jesus reminded us about how the age of Noah ended:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of [Jesus]. For as in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. (Matthew 24:37-39).

Although Jesus used apocalyptic language to speak about the ultimate “end of the age”, I believe it is more useful in our everyday lives to think of “the end of the age” as referring to the end of any and all “ages” of our lives.

In our individual lives, the ultimate “end of our age” is the time when Jesus takes us to be with him forever. (John 14:3; 2 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

But, in addition to such an ultimate “end of the age”, there are many other ways that  the “ages” of our life end—the death of our father, mother, spouse or child; the end of our family; the end of our faith community; the end of our job, career and business; the end of our political party; the end of our government; the end of our nation; and the end of our civilization.

At the end of such “ages”, God “harvests” the fruits of our labors.

We learn whether we built our lives, families, faith communities, economic activities, political parties, governments, nations, and civilizations on the one and only sure foundation: Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Did we build wisely on the foundation of Jesus using the moral equivalents of “gold”, “silver”, and “costly stones”?

Or did we build foolishly by using the moral equivalents of “wood”, “hay” and “straw”? (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).

Did we build wisely by hearing the words of Jesus and by putting them into practice so that when “rains” came down, “streams” rose, and “winds” blew and beat against our lives, families, faith communities, jobs, careers, businesses, political parties, governments, nations, and civilizations, they did not fall. (Matthew 6:24-25).

Or, did we build foolishly by hearing the words of Jesus, but not putting them into practice so that when “rains” came down, “streams” rose, and “winds” blew and beat against our lives, families, faith communities, jobs, careers, businesses, political parties, governments, nations, and civilizations, they “fell with a great crash”. (Matthew 6:26-27).

Jesus warned us to always be ready for the end of an “age”. He said: “keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

We ALWAYS need to be ready for the “siren” to sound and for God to search our lives for the items listed in his “search warrant”!

In addition, it is wise for us to ask God to search our lives daily. We should be asking him daily to point out ways that our lives have gone astray; ways for us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and ways to love others wisely as if they were Jesus or ourselves. (Isaiah 53:6; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:34-40).

Like the Psalmist, we should pray daily:

Search me, God, and know my heart;

     test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me

     and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalms 139:23-24).

When God walks around with his checklist to search our lives—both daily and at the end of any “age”—what will he find?

Will he find us walking in the way everlasting—in the Way of Jesus?

Will he find people who we helped as if they were Jesus: people who we fed when they were hungry; people who we gave something to drink when they were thirsty; people who we sheltered when they needed it; people who we gave clothing to when they needed it; people who we cared for when they were sick; and people who we visited when they were imprisoned. (Matthew 25:42-46)?

Or will he find that we did not treat hungry, thirsty, unsheltered, sick and imprisoned people as if they were Jesus. (Matthew 25:41-46).

Worse yet, will he find that we misused politics and ideology to justify having us, our families, our faith communities, our economic system, our politics, our government, our nations, and our civilizations fail to treat people as if they were Jesus: failing to feed hungry people; failing to give thirsty people something to drink; failing to shelter people when they need it; failing to give clothing to people when they need it; failing to care for sick people; and failing to visit imprisoned people.

This is a form of idolatry: following the Teachings of politics, of ideology and of the Powers of Money, Religion and the Kingdoms of this world instead of following the Teachings of Jesus that fulfill the Teachings of Moses: loving the One LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving others wisely as if they were Jesus or ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:34-40).

Will God determine that our faith and our beliefs are dead and useless because we did not put our faith and our beliefs into action by living in the Way of Jesus (James 2:14-26)?

When God searches our lives will he take us away in handcuffs? (Matthew 25:30).

Or, when God searches our lives, will he say: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into [the Joy of the LORD].” (Matthew 25:23 KJV; Nehemiah 8:10)?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you search your life daily to determine if you are walking in the way everlasting—in the Way of Jesus? How? Why?

When God searches your life will he determine that your faith and beliefs are dead and useless? How? Why?

When God searches your life will he take you away in handcuffs? How? Why?

When God searches your life, will he say, ““Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into [the Joy of the LORD].”? How? Why?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs “Building Houses on Rock: Mission Impossible?”; “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy and Forgiveness”, “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, “Building Houses on Sand: Specks and Planks”, “Jesus Climbs the Temple Mount”, “Alcatraz: Escaping by Using ‘Countervailing Powers’ Wisely”, and “Nationalism Is Patriotism Gone Astray”.