There may never be a time in our adult life that
compares with our excitement on some Christmas Eve of our youth. Our eager
waiting was probably so great that our gift the next morning was a let-down.
However those of us who eagerly wait for the Lord will not have a let-down when
the gift arrives. We believe that everything God has for us will be more
wonderful and exciting than anything we have ever imagined.
Unlike this world everything we receive will only
continue to become more exciting. This is why every Christian looks forward to
the day we leave this world. We are sometimes accused of fatalism but that is
completely wrong. Believers are not looking for inescapable disaster but for
inescapable bliss. When most Christians leave this world they have an
unexplainable smile on their face. Jesus puts this smile into our hearts.
We have received many gifts from the Lord. Here are
two of them: He will come again, not to deal with
our sins, but to bring salvation to
all who are eagerly waiting for him. Heb 9:28 (NLT). It’s true that our sins have
already been dealt with but we are eagerly waiting for our final salvation.
Peter spoke of it: …until you receive
this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1
Peter 1:5 (NLT).
Christians
have a future that is full of excitement. Peter also tells us: Now we live with great expectation, and
we have a priceless inheritance … 1 Peter 1:3 (NLT). It is priceless for
many important reasons but the simple truth is that we can really be excited as
we wait for it. Yes! We can let our excitement rise as far as possible because
there is no-way we will ever be disappointed. It is good to have a great God.
Living in
this world as a Christian is the beginning of our excitement. Paul said: What counts is whether we have been
transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who
live by this principle… Gal 6:15-16 (NLT). Sometimes people will ask what
our life is about. The true Christian is a person that has been transformed into
a new creature. These people are eagerly waiting for the Lord to return.
A new
creature has risen out of the death of our old nature. This is why we rejoice
when a person is raised up out of the water. The Bible says: Just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we
have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he
was. Romans 6:4-5 (NLT). Our new life is eagerly waiting for its full
expression.
Born again
people are so excited that they invite others to join them. The Bible says: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let
anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone
who desires, drink freely from the water of life. Rev 22:17 (NLT). We
should be eager to tell thirsty people “you may drink FREELY”. This is why we
are happy to wait.
