Confident at Christ’s Coming
I want to be excited and proud to see the coming of my Lord and Savior.
Jesus can come back at any time. In fact, he can return right now as I'm typing this sentence. Or as you're reading this blog post. Jesus proclaimed His return in several passages in the gospels. In the gospel of Luke, He said, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:8 ESV). In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus declared, "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:27 ESV). We don't know when Jesus will come back. No one knows the day nor the hour (see Matt. 25:13). But we do know that He will indeed return one day.
Are we ready for Jesus to return at any time? I think about this on a regular basis. Although it may seem like a far-fetched idea that Jesus will come back today, I still need to be prepared. It could actually happen. I don't want to be caught off-guard.
Thinking about Jesus' return helps me consider how I want to live today and into the future. It influences how I think, behave, and make decisions. I want to be proud of Jesus' return and not be ashamed when it happens. There's a verse in the Bible that really encourages us to be prepared for the coming of Christ: "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming" (1 Jn. 2:28 ESV). When Jesus returns, I don't want to "shrink from him in shame." Instead, I want to be excited and proud to see the coming of my Lord and Savior.
The writer of the first book of John gave us a clue in how we can best prepare for Christ's return and not shrink in shame. He wrote, "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence" (1 Jn. 2:28 ESV). Abiding in Christ each and every day through prayer, Scripture, worship, and contemplation is one of the best ways to prepare ourselves for Jesus' arrival. In fact, when we do this on a regular basis, the verse says that we will gain "confidence." We're confident about the arrival of Christ, not ashamed of ourselves when it happens.
Think about Jesus' return on a regular basis and what it would mean for you. Hopefully, it will help you make better and wiser decisions every day. And you can't go wrong with spending as much time as you can each day abiding in Christ to prepare yourself for what Jesus proclaimed would happen. May we be confident at the time of Jesus' return, not shrinking from Him in shame.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
