The ultimate future and hope for all believers is that Jesus is going to return, and when He returns, He will be established as the King over the earth. This is the Blessed Hope of every believer- the second coming of Christ.
It is easy to get sidetracked with living good lives, acquiring good things, and building great things in the name of Jesus on the earth- but there is one chief end to all man’s purpose. That is to fear God and obey His commandments. There is one thing that “this” is all unto. Keeping that in front of us, we realize that we have lost a zeal in the Western Church for Jesus Himself.
There is a difference between loving Jesus and being in love with Jesus. Many people may say they love Jesus, but when you look at their lives there is very little sacrifice or obedience displayed. When I came to Christ 25 years ago there was a catch phrase everyone used to say, “it’s a relationship, not a religion.” But somehow today Christianity sure looks like a religion- have we digressed? There are many amazing people and groups and church communities out there I have witness that are truly, wholeheartedly loving Jesus, so please forgive me as I over generalize to paint this picture- but the body of Christ in the west, in general, has forgotten her way.
RESET YOUR FOCUS
I consider myself a person quite passionate about prayer and the word and I have a discipline of spending hours every day with the Lord in prayer and the Word, and yet I found myself today aware of the dark depravity of my own focus.
What should I do? Where should I go? What do you want from me God? How can I serve you? How can I help? How can I fix this and that and all the myriad of balls in the air I’m tossing to the Lord in prayer… and then, I saw Jesus, coming. The Lord tugged my heart and said, “just look over here at this…”
As tears filled my eyes, I began to cry. The crying turned to weeping. The weeping got loud and ugly and yet joy and hope filled my heart. It’s not as complicated as I make it.
Jesus is coming back, that is the focus.
We must get our eyes back onto the hope of Jesus. That we would love Jesus so much, I mean desperately in love with Jesus, that we long for His return. We cry out for His return. We beg Him to return. That we are not satisfied for a moment with the pleasures the world has to offer. Our hope and longing for Jesus would be so great that all else fails in comparison.
Then, as a lovesick bride, the ache in our heart- the pain, the griefs, the trials we endure become nothing compared to the glory that is being revealed to us. These momentary light afflictions are working in us a deeper longing and focus on the coming glory.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ”
NEW HUNGER
When was the last time you cried out in lovesick longing for Jesus to return? What if we fasted from praying from any other thing for a week and just prayed for increased longing for Jesus?
Coming out of a one-hour time in this place I already am seeing my life, my priorities, and the world before me a lot clearer.
Father, give us a newfound hunger and longing for Jesus, Your Son, the Messiah who is coming to rule and reign. Renew our focus and our hope on our first love in Jesus’ name.