“Let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). “… We will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:17-18)
Lord Jesus, you don’t just call us to encourage one another on a daily basis, but to do so with hearts filled with anticipation, joy, and hope about your second coming. Lest we forget, what’s so awesome about the fact you are coming back?
- We will become as loving and as lovely as you, Jesus—astonishing, but true. For we will see you, as you are, and we will be made like you (1 John 3:1-3).
- The expiration date on all evil, sin, and sickness will have arrived. Everything will be true, good, and beautiful forever. There will be redemption for all of our pain, losses, and failures. Everything sad will come untrue, we’ll never experience any form of death again.
- It will be like the Garden of Eden on Gospel-steroids. Every longing you’re written into our DNA of your image bearers, and everything you’ve planned for us before the world began will come to fruition and fulfillment.
So, what might encouragement look like, as we live toward that magnificent Day? Forgiving and repenting should become easier for us than ever, because your grace not our sin is forever. Life is too short, and the end of your story is too glorious, for us to stay mad, bitter, and stuck. Our vexation and irritation, fears and worry should shrink, as we see the Day of all things new approaching.
We should live more joyfully as fellow characters in and carriers of your Story of redemption—living and spending “on mission,” supporting the work of the Gospel at home, and around the world. May it be so, Jesus. So Very Amen.