Preserved in Jesus Christ – Day 22

Since our Lord’s ascension, Christians have been longing and hoping for his return. People who have predicted the date of our Lord’s return and the end of the world have deceived some Christians.

False prophets have even gathered with those who believe them and awaited the fateful day in great expectation, only to have their hopes dashed when our Lord did not return as they predicted.

Jesus is coming again. His promise is certain. “I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am” (John 14:3). However, this is where those who predict the date of his second coming go wrong. Our Lord himself said it is not for us to know when that will happen (Acts 1:7).

In our verse for today, God is described as the “God of Hope”. It is a unique description found nowhere else in the Bible. Hope along with faith and love, is one of three permanent graces with which Christians are blessed (1 Corinthians 13:13).

When God created the world, God saw all that he had made and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). However, things went horribly wrong when sin entered the world. Since then, our fallen creation has been in a hopeless mess.

Christians are not immune to what happens around them. Sometimes, our own lives can become a mess, especially when our hopes and dreams are crushed. Some of our hopes come to fruition and others become deep disappointments, and sink us into depression. However, we should never lose heart. The God of Hope is the source of all our hopes.

It took the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to rescue us from a hopeless situation and now, we can rejoice in the absolute certainty that he is coming again.

The last words from Jesus in the Bible says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” To which, together with all Christians since his ascension, we can in hopeful expectation say, “Amen, come Lord Jesus.”