And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished or the day when Christ Jesus returns.
This is from the Apostle Paul, and it is an encouragement to me, and I’m sure millions of others. But it’s also a little frightening. Not because I don’t want Jesus to return, and not because I don’t think I’m saved, but for other reasons:
First, there are too many people out there that still don’t know and trust Christ. If He comes tomorrow – while that will be a Glorious Day for those who are in His Kingdom, it will be a terrifying day for those who remain. I know God wants everyone to be saved, but He also has given us freewill to choose whether we want a relationship with Him or not.
And this is where I get worried – I know people that I care deeply for that have not chosen to accept this amazing Gift. And I know what “the day when Christ Jesus returns” means to those people. It means they will see that living without God on this earth, means living without God for eternity. I cannot imagine anything more horrifying!
The second reason this concerns me is because until He returns, I will still not be the man that I am supposed to be! As much as I want to wake up in the morning and not have all these temptations that I succumb to far more often than I should; to not have thoughts come into my head that shock me into wondering what kind of weirdo I am; to not look at others in judgment instead of love… All of this will continue to be a daily battle until the Day of the Lord.
Of course, this is nothing new, for even thousands of years ago we see Jeremiah passes on this tidbit to us from the Father:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV)
That is both frightening and depressing, if I am being honest… But, thank God, I also have many other promises that I cling to that give me hope, like this:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Or this beautiful promise that reminds me it will all be worth it in the end:
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
So when I remember His Promises, and take them for myself and cling to them, I say that God is still Good, still Holy, and still worth fighting through whatever this life brings! So when I read at the end of Revelation, where Jesus says:
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
My response is the same as the Apostle John's:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.