Keep Your Eye on the Ball:
Watching Jesus
John 17:3
For years I have watched what I call Jesus TV.
Some people hear that phrase and immediately think I mean watching signs of the times, wars, political upheaval, economic collapse, conspiracies, judgments, Zion, or the Second Coming.
Those things certainly appear on the screen.
But they are not the star of the show.
Jesus Christ is.
The great temptation of every generation is to become fascinated with the scenery while forgetting the main character. I believe Jesus continually reminds me, “Greg, keep your eye on the ball.”
Jesus is the ball.
The Pattern of Waiting Too Long
The Book of Mormon was compiled for people living in our day. Again and again its prophets interrupt their histories to speak directly to us.
One of its recurring themes is that secret combinations, corruption, and wickedness eventually threaten entire civilizations. The warning is clear: stay close to God or risk losing your liberty.
But another message quietly repeats itself throughout the record.
Human beings almost always wait too long.
They repent after the famine begins.
They humble themselves after the war starts.
They seek God after their nation begins to crumble.
Even righteous people often move only after the evidence becomes overwhelming.
That isn’t simply an observation about ancient Nephites.
It is an observation about humanity.
It is an observation about me.
History Tells the Same Story
Farmers living during the Dust Bowl did not abandon generations of family land after the first poor harvest. They stayed because staying was reasonable. They hoped next year would be better. Only when the evidence became overwhelming did thousands finally leave for California.
European Jews did not wake up one morning and know the Holocaust was coming. Restrictions accumulated. Taxes increased. Rights disappeared little by little. Looking backward, historians can identify the warning signs. Living through them was far more confusing.
When exactly do you uproot your family?
At what tax rate?
After which new law?
After which speech?
After which insult?
The answers seem obvious in hindsight.
They rarely seem obvious while you are living them.
Jesus Understands This
The Book of Mormon understands this.
More importantly...
Jesus understands this.
He knows what kind of creatures we are.
He knows that believing in an invisible God requires extraordinary faith.
He knows that we love our homes, our jobs, our farms, our neighborhoods, our traditions, and our families.
He knows we naturally hope things will improve.
He knows we struggle to distinguish temporary troubles from genuine warnings.
He knows that acting too early carries costs.
He knows that acting too late also carries costs.
None of this surprises Him.
Warnings and Mercy
This is one reason I have come to believe His grace is far larger than I once imagined.
He warns because He loves.
He invites because He loves.
He pleads because He loves.
And when we delay—as humanity almost always does—He does not suddenly discover that we are weak.
He already knew.
He tells us to forgive seventy times seven.
He leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one.
He welcomes prodigals home.
His warnings are real.
His justice is real.
But so is His mercy.
What Prophecy Reveals
That changes how I read prophecy.
I no longer think the primary purpose of prophecy is to enable me to predict every future event correctly.
Rather, prophecy reveals the character of Jesus.
Every story becomes another opportunity to ask:
What does this teach me about Him?
The Garden of Eden teaches me that Jesus values agency enough to permit heartbreaking choices.
The Flood teaches me that His patience has limits but His covenant purposes continue.
The Book of Mormon teaches me that He warns long before judgment arrives.
History teaches me that people usually wait until circumstances force change.
My own life teaches me the same lesson almost every week.
Every episode teaches me something about Jesus.
Ordinary Disciples Watching History
Sometimes people ask what they should be doing in the last days.
I suspect most of us will not be standing on the world’s equivalent of Normandy Beach.
Most people during World War II were not generals.
They were fathers.
Mothers.
Teachers.
Mechanics.
Children.
They prayed.
Worked.
Raised families.
Wrote letters.
Made sacrifices.
And watched history unfold.
Perhaps many of us will experience the last days much the same way.
Not as the visible heroes moving nations...
...but as ordinary disciples trying to remain faithful while extraordinary events unfold around us.
Where Should I Place My Attention?
So where should I place my attention?
On conspiracies?
On governments?
On markets?
On rumors?
On disasters?
They matter.
But they are not the center.
Jesus is the center.
Attention is a form of worship.
What continually occupies my heart eventually shapes me.
If eternal life is to know the Father and the Son, then I should spend far more energy studying Jesus than studying the latest headline.
When I watch history, I want to watch it the way a student watches a great teacher.
I want to notice what Jesus permits.
What He purposes.
When He waits.
When He intervenes.
How patiently He teaches.
How generously He forgives.
How faithfully He keeps His promises.
Jesus TV
Perhaps that is what Jesus TV really is.
Not endless speculation.
Not fear.
Not obsession with tomorrow.
But learning to watch Jesus so carefully that, through every page of scripture and every chapter of history, I gradually come to know Him.
Because in the end, that was His invitation all along.
Everything else is scenery.
Jesus is the story.