December 22, 2020- “Coming Soon!”
Anticipation! Christmas is coming! A time of celebration and yet there is more! I recall the preparation we made as children when our grandparents came. Mother cooked in the kitchen, and every bed had to be made, and the house dusted, and floors vacuumed. We did our part so that all would be ready for when our grandparents arrived.
Each candle of the Advent is lit, one by one. Advent means coming, and the coming of the birth of the Christ Child is celebrated. The shepherds in the field knew Jesus was coming, the Wisemen watched and waited for the birth of the Christ Child. They knew. Yet there is more! God placed anticipation in scriptures like this one,
To us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7.
These words were written 800 years before Jesus Christ was born. That is a long wait, when we are impatient with stop lights, standing in line, waiting seems forever. Then it happens. Patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Without the Holy Spirit, we are impatient and want everything in an instant.
Patience returns to the first Fruit of the Spirit – Love. It is part of loving others, the second commandment. When we consider Love, suddenly other words make their appearance in our hearts—Trust. Faith, Peace, and the concern for others instead of ourselves.
How important is Love? So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13.
When we look around at our possessions that wear out, rust out, and give out, and we note they’re not listed in this verse. The way we conduct our relationships with others in thoughts and conversations makes the difference. The entire Old and New Testament point not to what is, but to eternity. Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ is of more importance. The only things that will continue into eternity are our Faith in Christ, our Hope in our Salvation and freedom from Sin, and Loving God and others.
Do you think you are alone, and no one cares? When I read the first six verses of Psalm 139, I know God cares. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
You know when I weep and lose heart. You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Psalm 56:8.
Jesus wept as well. He wept over the city of Jerusalem and its direction and the death of his friend when he died, Lazarus. Jesus knows our pain and experienced the same concerns as we do.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He met with His Disciples. So, when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Another kernel of anticipation and wonder came for us, about two thousand years ago. That is some giant-sized waiting and anticipation.
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13.
This is the way God tells time on earth, Alpha and Omega, first and last, the beginning and the end. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2.
Then the book of John begins… In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5.
A gift came with a black and a white ribbon. I made it to become an ornament on my Christmas Tree. Imagine my surprise when I took a picture, and all I could see was the white ribbon and not the black ribbon. I thought about this truth: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!
Do you remember the excitement you felt when you know you would receive a gift? God has given us all the universe He created. And then He sent His One and Only Son Jesus to be born to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus brought peace and taught us two commandments to obey. And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39. Love is the essence of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the Light, the Life, Truth, and He left us Peace. Through this is Joy of the Hope for freedom from Sin. His Love flows eternally and without ending. He is our Gift of Love. Our greatest gift is He is coming soon!
He is our Anticipation of Hope through Faith that comes from how God Loves us.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him. Psalm 37:39-40.