“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”- 2 Timothy 4:6–8
About two thousand years have passed since Jesus made a promise to His disciples the night before His crucifixion: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). Despite the passage of time, that promise is just as certain and secure as it was when it was first spoken. Jesus is going to return, and He will do so without notice or warning at a time which is unknown.
Our duty is to look for His return and to live in such a way that we are prepared to meet Him with joy rather than shame. The old Scottish preacher Alexander MacLaren said, “The apostolic church thought more about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than about death and Heaven. The early Christians were looking, not for a cleft in the ground called a grave, but for a cleavage in the sky called Glory.”
The only question is not whether the Lord will return, but how we will meet Him when He does. We are not meant to know when that moment will be, in part, because it serves as motivation for us to live each day to the fullest to accomplish as much as possible for God’s kingdom. Rather than saving up all our work, like a student cramming at the last minute for a test, we are to live every day expecting His return. Since Jesus could return today, use every moment you have to prepare for His return. (Daily in the Word)
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
