I often end my prayers with, “Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come.” I pray that because I believe that, much as I love this life, eternity with Jesus will make me wonder why I clung to it. But when I pray those words, there’s usually this nagging in the back of my head that if he really came quickly, I might not be ready.
Reading in Psalm 96 this morning, I read this in verses 11-13:
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
As much as I love the idea of all of creation celebrating the same way we celebrate a sports victory, I had again that nagging question: Will I be ready on that day?
The truth is, the created world will rejoice, but many in it won’t. The same people who don’t want to encounter Jesus in daily life will be mortified to meet him on that day.
I don’t really think that will be me. I think I’ll hold back, knowing I’m not worthy, but I think Jesus will call to me. I think he’ll see in me the righteousness he paid for with his blood, and call me to him. I think he’ll remember that, even in my weakest times, even on those days when I didn’t want to follow him, even in the very act of sinning, I never denounced him. At my weakest, I loved Jesus and hated myself. At my worst, I knew Jesus was my future and my only hope; I knew I would find my way back. And at my best, I was a courageous voice for his Truth. I think Jesus will know all that, and the day of his return will be a happy one for me.
That would be enough, but I have a greater hope, one that I’m trying to live for. I hope that he will say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your reward.”
No comments:
Post a Comment