Our Longings

I don’t think Paul could conceive of a Christian NOT longing to be done with a body of sin and desperately looking forward to seeing.

I grew up in an era and branch of Christianity that focused a lot of attention on Christ’s return. The sense I got from it was mostly fear. We’d watch movies about Jesus’ return and they were like Christian horror films. Believe in Jesus and don’t be left behind. Some helpful things in all that probably.

Rather than fear about it, we ought to long for it. If you’re thinking right now, I hope it’s after ______. I graduate from school, get married, have kids, have my career, buy this or that blah blah. . . you know, I want to enjoy my affluent American dream Christianity THEN Jesus comes right before I die of same painful disease. It shows how little we think all this. This will be better than the best this life has to offer and it will be like that forever. In glory, no one will say, I wish Jesus would have waited until I had ______________. All of us will wish he had come sooner.

So we conclude by saying too Jesus, please come soon. We’re tired of this world. Tired of this body. Ready for glory.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s web site address (http://www.bethelweb.org/) on the copied resource.

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