Can we be confident that Jesus will return to earth? Can we be ready and unashamed when we see Him face to face?
Confidence in His Appearing
2 Peter 3
The ache in my heart and the lump in my throat
begged me to find a quiet place to cry.
I never expected to get homesick during those first days of college.
I thought I would be thrilled to leave the farm and its chores. Baffled at why I was feeling this way, I wanted to quit school and go home. Being gone from the farm had never bothered me. Why now?
Homesickness.
Have you been there?
It can cripple you and cause depression.
It might tempt you to give up your dreams.
Everything becomes clouded by hard circumstances.
There’s another homesickness we may feel as Christians.
This world, with its pain, misery, and evil, is not our home. (Hebrews 13:14-16)
Our greatest wish is to be with Jesus; but, like the apostle Paul, we understand that to live now provides more time to bring others to Christ. (Philippians 1:21-26, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)
It’s difficult to stay confident in His appearance when everything and everyone around us says otherwise. When scoffers laugh, “What? Do you still believe He will return? It’s been thousands of years. He’s not coming back!”
We can stay confident!
God is faithful.
He will do what He says.
(2 Timothy 2:13)
Throughout history, believers have trusted God, and we can see the fulfillment of His promises through the pages of Scripture. As Christians, we must hold on to our faith and keep believing in God’s word. We must remember that Jesus is preparing a place for us, and He will come again (John 14:1-3). While we wait, we must remain confident in His promises and be prepared for His return.
“I am going to prepare a place […] I will come again […]”, said Jesus in John 14:1-3.
Peter reminds us that God doesn’t experience the passing of time as we do; He dwells outside of time. A single day is like a thousand years to Him. From God’s perspective, only two or three days have passed since His ascension. He has gone to prepare a home for us, a new Heaven and Earth. God will dissolve this old world! (2 Peter 3:10)
Excerpted from Gracefully Truthful.
Post on His Appearing
Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.
