Prepare for Jesus' Return

Chuckle: A sign under a mounted fish: "If I had kept my mouth shut, I wouldn't be here!"

Good Quote: "A life without hope is a life without meaning." --Unknown

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!". . . Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and . . . take the free gift of the water of life. . . He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:17, 20 NIV).

Here in the last few verses of the Bible, we are reminded that anyone may come to Jesus to experience the joy of His salvation. You may recall the account in John 4:10-15, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at a well and told her about the living water that He could supply. He extended the universal invitation to come to Him and drink of the water of life. We live in a world experiencing severe thirst for the living water. It's not too late for us to extend God's invitation to everyone we know to come and drink. When they do, then they can look forward with excitement and anticipation to our Lord's next coming.

The Bible teaches repeatedly and clearly that the same Jesus who came to earth 2,000 years ago, will come again to claim His church (all true believers) and to welcome them into that eternal city called heaven. That Jesus will come again is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith.

To leave the readers of God's Word with a final reminder of Jesus' coming, the promise is reemphasized in the final verses of the Bible. One last time, the Scriptures point us to Jesus in whom we have our hope. When we really hope for something, it will be a preoccupation in our minds and it will give us focus and direction as we anticipate the fulfillment of that hope.

We see the words of Jesus when He said, "Yes, I'm coming soon." The word, "soon" means "at any moment." This is wonderful news for those who have placed their faith and hope in Him, but frightening news for those without hope who have rejected Him. The Scriptures do not give us a date when Jesus will return, but we are taught to live each day as if it is the day of our Lord's return -- be ready to meet Him. If we know Him, we long for His return.

If we know Christ and long for Him and His return, we will gain eternal treasures beyond description. But, If we long for the treasures of this world we will spend our lives pursuing them and in the end will we have nothing. Do you long for Jesus' return, or are you fearful because you are not ready to meet Him? Come to Him in repentance and faith and He will forgive your sins and prepare you to meet Him with anticipation and without fear.

Love, Jerry & Dotse