PrintGreat Expectations
Like many of you, the greatest expectation we have is the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul put it like so, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Phil 3:20)
“…eagerly await…”. Is that the word you would use to describe the level of your expectation concerning the return of our Lord? To be honest I can’t say that is true of my attitude. My enthusiasm loses a lot of its energy as I walk this earthly journey.
Are there ways and means that we can employ to maintain (if not increase) the dynamic of our great expectation?
As you might well imagine, heaven has taken on a whole new significance since the death of my wife, Bev.
Sitting on my desk is a dual photo frame. In the left hand frame is my favourite photo of Bev. (I’m still smitten by her beauty!) and in the left hand frame I have printed these words,
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT)
So, each day, I take the photo and the Scripture passage and read the passage out loud as an affirmation of what I believe as the basis of this great expectation. It is too early to try and evaluate the benefit of this discipline. Time will tell. All I know at the moment is that my beloved has entered into her inheritance and is lost in wonder, love and praise (if that smile is only a hint of what awaits us).
