| Looking Up? |
Looking Up?
And await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal
life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.
— Jude 1:21
There is a lot of disagreement in the church as a whole over what we
call "eschatology," or prophetic events. Most often, it seems, the
differences lie in the order of events. Some don't believe Christ could
return at any time. Some believe that we will go through the Tribulation.
The bottom line is this: you need to believe that Jesus could come back
at any time. This is an emphasis of the New Testament, and it can have
a purifying effect on your life. As 1 John 3:3 says, "And all who have this
eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure."
A literal translation of this verse would be, "Whoever has this hope
continually set on Him is constantly purifying himself." If I live my life in a
sense of expectation that Christ could come back at any time, then it
will purify me.
Children who are prone to get into trouble will be on their best behavior
if they know their parents might walk into the room at any moment.
Likewise, if we know that Christ could come back at any time, it should
affect the way we live.
In contrast to disobedient children who dread the arrival of their parents,
we should look forward with great excitement to the return of our Lord.
Like John, we should be able to say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
(Revelation 22:20). If you cannot say this, it would be an indication that
something is not right spiritually.
I enjoy life and the opportunities God sets before me. But if tonight were
the night for Christ's return, I would say, "Bring it on!" Wouldn't you? That
is the way to live.
And await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal
life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.
— Jude 1:21
There is a lot of disagreement in the church as a whole over what we
call "eschatology," or prophetic events. Most often, it seems, the
differences lie in the order of events. Some don't believe Christ could
return at any time. Some believe that we will go through the Tribulation.
The bottom line is this: you need to believe that Jesus could come back
at any time. This is an emphasis of the New Testament, and it can have
a purifying effect on your life. As 1 John 3:3 says, "And all who have this
eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure."
A literal translation of this verse would be, "Whoever has this hope
continually set on Him is constantly purifying himself." If I live my life in a
sense of expectation that Christ could come back at any time, then it
will purify me.
Children who are prone to get into trouble will be on their best behavior
if they know their parents might walk into the room at any moment.
Likewise, if we know that Christ could come back at any time, it should
affect the way we live.
In contrast to disobedient children who dread the arrival of their parents,
we should look forward with great excitement to the return of our Lord.
Like John, we should be able to say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
(Revelation 22:20). If you cannot say this, it would be an indication that
something is not right spiritually.
I enjoy life and the opportunities God sets before me. But if tonight were
the night for Christ's return, I would say, "Bring it on!" Wouldn't you? That
is the way to live.
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |