"Listen!" says Jesus. "I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done." Revelation 22:12, GNT

 

Ben Fourie concluded his Revelation series last month with the words: "What more do we need to know or say about the second coming but, I am looking forward to his coming and I am thankful that I will be part of the jubilant crowd." I hardly want to say anything more, but the Bible does give us some clear instructions that are required of us while we wait.

 

We must be ready. "Be on your guard, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him." (Matthew 24:42-44) This passage reminded me of my mother-in-law. She believed that when you go to bed at night, everything must be clean and in its place because: "One never knows who may turn up here in the middle of the night or early tomorrow morning."

 

We must live holy lives. "For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of the whole human race. That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world, as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ will appear." (Titus 2:11-13)

 

We must be hopeful. Paul says in Romans 5:2: "He has brought us by faith into this experience of God’s grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory!” In Romans 5:4-5, he goes on to say: "... endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us."

 

We must be helpful. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 and then pray, with Paul, the prayer in verses 23-24: "May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being – spirit, soul, and body – free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful."

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant that we will be ready for your second coming, that we will live holy and hopeful, and that between now and your return, we will tell others about our Saviour. Amen