When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. —Colossians 3:4
Since the time we are very young and can understand what a calendar is, we tend to look forward to events in the future. We especially can’t wait for birthdays and Christmas, vacations and school breaks. As we grow older and our calendars fill up with work, family, and church events, we look forward to time off, days with family, adventures to new places, and just plain old Saturdays around the house. Looking forward to events and milestones on our calendars can be very motivating. Those promised events on our daily calendars can and do get us through some of the difficult, boring, or otherwise uninspired days we sometimes experience, if we’re honest. Yet, as followers of Jesus, there is one event that we look forward to that transcends all of that. The bible often refers to that day, meaning the day that Jesus returns. And it’s THAT DAY that is the ultimate and final promise in this chapter of the history of the world, as we live in the here-but-not-yet reality of God’s kingdom.
Unlike Christmas and birthdays, which come and go in a yearly rhythm of ups and downs, the return of Jesus Christ will be a final proclamation of the plan of salvation for the world, for all time. Those who are in Christ – saved by grace through faith in His life, death, and resurrection – are those whose very life is Christ. He is Lord and Savior. He is our all in all. And it’s in HIM, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, that we live, we move, we have our very being and belonging. When HE comes back again, we will be with Him forever in the new heaven and earth. Tribulation theories aside (that’s a discussion for some other day), our hope and promise is that Jesus will return and we will be with Him in glory!
What that means for us today, in the daily life of a disciple of Jesus Christ, is that we are confident in the final act of love that is the return of Jesus. We are also confident that not only will we see Jesus, but that we will worship Him with all the saints and angels around His throne. When our lives and calendars seem to be stagnant or we are frustrated by our own sin, struggle, and self-focus, we are called to turn our eyes to Jesus. We await His return by boldly sharing the Good News that Jesus is the only One who walked out of His own grave; the bible contains everything sufficient for salvation; and, that each of us will be in glory with Him when He returns.
Look at your calendar right now. Give thanks for the ordinary days and the special ones – past, present, and future. God has every day in His hands. Then, commit each one to His mission as you patiently wait for Him to return. You WILL be with Him in glory. Amen!
~Steve
