Perhaps there is nothing greater to be thankful for than the fact Jesus is coming again. In a world full of evil and destruction, we are daily in desperate need of hope. We need a reason to believe things will get better and that this life is not all there is. All these things are fulfilled in the fact Jesus is coming again. Everything we experience here is temporary. One day, we will forget all our troubles, pain, and despair.
If that isn’t a reason to be thankful, I don’t know what is. The day of Christ’s return is coming, of that, we can be certain. I figure, statistically, I’ve got twenty or thirty years left in this world. The Lord may not come back in my lifetime. Or, He may return in the next twenty or thirty seconds; we just don’t know. What we do know is Jesus is coming back. Thank God for that!
Knowing Jesus is coming back means we need to be ready. Throughout the New Testament, the writers admonish and encourage us to be watchful for His return. I can think of nothing worse than to be caught unawares when the King of the Universe appears to reclaim what is His. Hebrews 9:28 says Jesus is returning to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. It doesn’t say He is bringing salvation to those who know about Him or to those who are ignoring Him by the way they live. No, He is coming back to save those who are waiting for Him.
To wait for someone is to imply you are always looking for them. You are anticipating their arrival. Are we living in anticipation of Christ’s return, eagerly gazing at the clouds, searching for any sign of Him? I think that’s the way to live. It gives us a reason to carry on and to be busy about the mission He gave us to tell others about Him (Matthew 28:18-20). Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to eagerly wait for our Savior (Philippians 3:20). To eagerly wait does not imply passive gazing. We should actively and consciously be expecting the return of our Lord.
We know Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He will save those who are waiting for Him from His wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:8). Paul’s letter to the Church in Thessalonica reminds us we don’t know the day or the hour Christ will return, but it will be sudden. Most will be taken by surprise, but we who love Jesus will not be caught off-guard (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4).
If we are eagerly awaiting His return, we will spend our lives preparing. We will want to be ready and to be found faithful. If we aren’t choosing to live every moment for His glory, then we are not eagerly waiting for His return. Jesus is coming back to claim those who love and serve Him. That is something to be thankful for above all else. Let’s be sure we are ready and waiting when He returns.