While most things in life for us Americans are essentially able to be achieved by our “instant gratification”, waiting for heaven and the coming of our Lord is not one of those things. The thought occurred to me that it must be more difficult for American Christians to understand and embrace the healthy tension between contentment and the sense of anticipation for the Lord’s 2nd advent than any other group of Christians on earth.

I began thinking of how excited I am for the upcoming men’s campout on June 22-23 (shameless plug), and realized that my heart needs to be just as anxiously longing for the coming of the Lord.

As popularized by the chorus ‘Glorious Day’, one day we will see Him, “One day He’s coming, oh glorious day!”

Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  This means that Christ set His mind on the joy that He knew awaited Him in heaven.  He endured all the evil because He was looking forward to a future that was going to be so full of happiness that the trial was worth the fight.

Can you honestly say that your heart longs for the second coming of the Lord? That day will be so full of joy that the hours, days, and years of suffering and turmoil in our lives on earth will be a small price to pay for the worth and excitement ushered in on that day.  I hope you will join me this week in anticipation of that glorious day by setting our minds on things above.

Blessings,

PJ Wenzel