At the risk of sounding like one of those cartoon prophets walking on the sidewalk wearing a long robe and holding a sign proclaiming that doomsday is right around the corner, let me say this—the end is near.

How do I know that the end is near? It’s not because of current wars, or the recent earthquake in New York City or the eclipse of a few days ago. These kinds of things have been happening for thousands of years, and Jesus says that “Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Matt.24:6).

I can confidently say that the end is near because the Bible says that it is. 1 Pet.4:7 says, “The end of all things is near…” It couldn’t get much plainer than that, now, can it? The question is, how should we spend our time, given the fact that time is short?

As you read the next few verses, Peter has some suggestions. First, we should be alert and of sober mind so that we may pray. We need to be aware of what is happening around us and keep our minds clear to pray effectively. To be sober-minded means that we must not become distracted.

April has been designated Distracted Driver Awareness month. Accidents are often caused by a moment’s distraction. Drivers may take their eyes off the road for a second to change the radio station or to look for that French fry that got away, never thinking that they might be involved in a costly accident that hurts themselves or someone else.

As we move forward in life, there are many ways that we could become distracted from living for Jesus. We must diligently train our minds to stay focused on the straight and narrow highway. Anything less might result in disaster and cause us to be unable to pray effectively. A distracted mind is unable to pray the way that it should, the way that it must when time is short.

Secondly, Peter says that we need to love one another deeply, and that the way we do this is to forgive one another and to offer hospitality to one another. The Lord teaches us to pray for forgiveness based on how we forgive others. That’s a scary thought! But think of all that the Lord has forgiven you, and now think about those small grudges that we are tempted to hold onto. And hospitality seems to be an old-fashioned concept that is rarely practiced anymore, but the Bible often exhorts us to be hospitable, especially to fellow Christians. To be more loving, we must forgive others when they sin against us and look for opportunities to be hospitable. Since the end is near, let us strive to love each other deeply.

Third, Peter says that we are to serve others faithfully. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that we serve God by serving people. The text says that we can serve with our words or with our deeds. Our words should be spoken as one who speaks the very words of God. Our deeds should be performed with the strength that God provides. So, whether we are speaking or working, let us do it all for the glory of God.

There you have it. The end is near. Therefore, since time is short, let us pray effectively, love deeply and serve powerfully. We only have a limited amount of time to do all we can for Jesus!