Longing For Jesus' Return, Loving His Appearing

 ​ Do you long for Jesus to appear? Heaven will be filled with the most amazing, wonderful colors, sights, sounds, etc.. We might see creation we never dreamed of on Earth.

No matter what amazing thing you'd like to see, the best thing will be seeing Jesus.

There are too many things to get into that we long for and had last year. But, all pale in comparison to our longing for Jesus’ appearance. Because, the things we love in this world are just shadows of the perfect things of Heaven.

For instance, relationships. There will be no parting over there. We can be with those we love anytime we want, with no death or sickness. We will have perfect bodies that can't sin. So, the little disputes and frustrations will be gone. A Godly person will be frustrated at less now than someone who is not following Jesus of course. I've said that we should be able to laugh at our own faults and accept we are not perfect. But, the joy, peace, and so on Jesus gives us when we trust Him to will be there forever when we get there.

Think about time, too. Right now, you juggle school, playing, and other things. But, in Heaven there will be no need for linear time. We won't worry about schedules. There will be no more night so we won't have to sleep. And, we will be forever with the Lord. So, we won't be taking the time to go to church. Instead, we will be able to focus on Jesus wherever we are because his presence will be everywhere.

We should practice that now. Practicing the presence of God means realizing He is there, seeking His wisdom, etc., and doing things for His glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. We can know the Bible so verses come to our mind when we need. Hymns and spiritual songs can guide us also.

Do you know someone who is often humming or whistling or even singing? Or maybe you are like that? That attitude is what the Bible means when it says we’ll always worship Him. It doesn't mean we’ll always stand and sing in a choir. It means we’ll always have that song in our heart. Just like that person who is always humming, etc.. Having songs that honor God going through your mind like that can help you draw closer to Jesus.

Some plan to celebrate, running around free in Heaven. Others may want to curl up like a baby and let the Lord hold them for a while, they will be so relieved to be away from the pain and sadness of this world. The beauty is that - as we pray and seek God's comfort and peace - He can give us that feeling now when we trust Him to. When I was little I often said Heaven is a great big hug that lasts forever.

Whatever you think you will do, even something funny like play tag for a few days all over some planet or have a big party with your favorite food and dessert with a few hundred people from a favorite historical era, two things are vital. First, of course, being sure of your salvation. Second, making sure as many people as possible know how to get to heaven and are given the chance to make that decision.

The idea is to get a person from point A to point B. Point A is wherever they are spiritually and emotionally. Point B is making the decision to call on Jesus to save them from their sins. That silly looking stuffed dog is just one possible conversation starter.

This pandemic is another. What things do they miss? Tell them how they can know they would have that thing forever in a more perfect form. Like I mentioned with relationships above. Or eating: Maybe someone is very restricted in their diet. But they wish they could eat all the chocolate or pizza they wanted again.

It seems easy. But remember, the devil doesn't want people to know Jesus. He will fight any way he can. This is why it’s so important to pray for others, pray as we are witnessing, little prayers that follow the more heartfelt ones from before, etc.. God wants to help us. But, the battle is much bigger than we can imagine.

Some people have such evil in their minds, they have actually asked the devil for help. They want to destroy. We must pray the Lord defeat these enemies of goodness. Pray they have no power and pray they never get their way. Especially, because we shohld pray for our enemies,, pray that they will turn to the light of Jesus.

There are forces of darkness all around, of course. Eph. 6:12 – and all of verses 10-18 – talk of this spiritual battle, and how to fight it. This is where I’ve mentioned that the division in our country is caused by the devil (the thief of John 10:10) coming to seal, kill, and destroy. We have victory by overcoming evil with good. 

Some, of course, refuse to understand that they are being swayed by evil. They actually get into power in churches in some cases, and they still belong to groups which don’t fully believe in the Gospel. We must pray that the devil will not have his way with these people. Pray that churches involved reject these leaders unless the leaders reject such groups. This goes back to what I said about how nobody can serve two masters.

Not everyone who struggles at loving God’s appearing is involved in such things. Some people are just too focused on the world. They want fame or riches or power so much, they forget that God is the one in control. They forget that the things of this world will not last. Only things in Heaven will last forever.

This is why it’s so important to be readyhfor when Jesus returns. This doesn’t mean it will be anytime soon. It does mean that each of us could go at anytime. And, if we love His appearing, then we will be more likely to win someone to the Lord. Because they will see that our hope isn’t in something temporary.

So, keep praying for everyone to come to know Jesus as Saviour. Pray for all leaders to follow Jesus. Pray that our country have revival more powerful than we have never seen. And, pray that the devil and his forces lose their power. Pray that evil would be overcome with good, as the Bible tells us in Romans 12;19-21:

 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

I'm going to close with the ABCs of salvation. That is the only way we can overcome, through Jesus. Romans 12 simply shares how we do it – it’s a great section to memorize. These ABCs are a good way to remember how plane to anyone.

A is for admit you are a sinner. None of us is perfect. We all fall short of God’s perfect holiness. We can’t reach Heaven on our own strength. As good as we are, we can’t be perfect.

B is for Believe that Jesus Christ is God in flesh – He was fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life, then He died on the cross to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. What He did was all that needed to be done to save you.

C is for Call on Jesus Christ to save you from your sin, Confessing you are a sinner and Choosing to let Him save you from your sin and come live in you and make you new inside.