The Return of Jesus

I just noticed the date of my last blog - one year ago today!! How's that for consistency? I had such high aspirations for writing daily or at least a couple of times a week. Oh well - perhaps I will turn over a new leaf - today! The name of my blog - Fervent Love First - and the consistency with which I write may say more than I really want it to say. Is my consistency in love no better than my consistency in writing? Not fishing for complements here - just a little self-examination in front of the internet world.

That moment of confession behind me, let's take a few minutes to think about the return of Jesus. Have you ever wondered how you will react? I mean, when that trumpet blast splits the silence, and the clouds are pushed aside, and there for every eye to see--in all His majesty stands the King of Glory--will you run and hide? Will you stand there with your mouth open? Will you fall on your face? What will you do?

I guess I'd thought about it, before, but the text I want us to look at today, gives us a chance to think about it again. As I was studying this, I saw a reaction to the second coming I wasn't quite ready for. Boasting. That's right--boasting. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, says, "For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?"

He said, "Jesus is coming again, and when He does, my hope, and joy, and crown in which I can glory (exult--boast) is going to be you Thessalonian Christians." It doesn't seem to matter what else he has done--he may have written most of the New Testament--he may have been in prison for his faith--he may have been beaten and stoned and left for dead--but the one thing that will bring boasting will be the ones he has lead to the Lord and who stand firm in the faith until the return of Christ.

Paul is a PROUD PARENT, and his glory will be his spiritual children--not his biological children, but the people he has led into a lastinf and growing relationship with Jesus. I began to think about that and I discovered that all through scripture, THAT is the focus. The only work that makes any difference at all is the work of helping people to know God and grow in their relationship with Him.

In all the teachings of Jesus--the call to love one another--to do unto others as you would have them do unto you--the command to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the prisoners--everything Jesus commanded us to do was for the purpose of bringing people into a loving relationship with Him. And when we stand before Him at His return, He will want to see the results of our labor. In that moment, we will either be embarrassed or proud--we will either have some spiritual children to boast about or we won't.

I'll stop for now - (not for a year as last time) - but just enough to let you think about the picture of Jesus' return and and our "hope or joy or crown of boasting at His return." Next time, I'll talk about HOW to get that crown of boasting. I don't want to be embarrassed at the return of Jesus--instead I want, like Paul, to be A PROUD PARENT. And the four steps to being a PROUD PARENT are in 1 Thessalonians.

Until next time...