Looking for and Hastening the Coming of Our Lord!

The young high school student greatly anticipates the coming of his graduation day. He cannot wait for it to arrive. It marks the end of the past thirteen years of study and opens the door to a world of possibilities. The young man is so excited to move on and try new things. He yearns for his independence and to begin a new life on his own. Most high school students cannot wait for that day to arrive.

The engaged couple, who are planning their wedding and life together, cannot wait for their wedding day to arrive. They spend every waking hour planning for their future, making sure everything is ready. Their anticipation for their new life together keeps them both up at night thinking of how wonderful it will be to live with their love for the rest of their life. They long for the marriage day to arrive so they can embark on their journey together.

Christians, too, should be looking to a day with this kind of anticipation, longing, hope and desire. The apostle Peter tells us that we should be “looking to and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12). We need to be looking forward to the time when the Lord will return and take us to be with Him in heaven. We should long to begin our eternal life with the One who loves us the most, never to be separated.

If you ask different people what their goal in life is, you will get many different responses. One might say that he wants to be successful. Another might say he hopes to have a million dollars. Yet another might desire to gain great knowledge. And still another might say he craves to soak up as much enjoyment as he can before he dies. If, however, you ask Christians what their goal in life is, the answer should be to live in service to the King and be with Him in glory one day. This is our hope, our goal, our greatest desire. 

Things of this world are only temporary. They are not designed to last forever. Jesus tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy” (Matthew 6:19). Instead, He tells us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20-21). Our hearts need to be focused on heaven – our goal. We need to put our time and effort into the work of God, and by doing so we will be “storing up treasures for a good foundation for the future” (1 Timothy 6:19).

Often times, though, we get too concerned with the things of this world. We begin living our lives with a different goal in mind. We become distracted with the worries of the world. We must not be like this! Jesus tells us not to be concerned with what we will eat or what we will wear for clothing (cf. Matthew 6:25-31). If we are not to worry about these very basic necessities of life, then surely we should not be worried about having the brand new car, or the giant flat screen TV, the nicest house, or the highest paying job. Our Father in heaven knows the things that we need to sustain ourselves here in this life, and He will provide them for us (Matthew 6:32). Our job is to trust Him and “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). We do not want to be like the thorny soil. If we hear the word of God, and then the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke our this word, we will become unfruitful (Matthew 13:22). 

We must stay focused on our goal. We must keep our eyes set on heaven. We need to long for and desire the time when we will be with our Father in heaven for all eternity. If we allow ourselves to be distracted by the worries and concerns of this life, we may very well miss out on life eternal when this world is ended. And if we miss heaven, then we have missed all there is to miss.