…and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation for those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28, NIV)
A golf trip is no different than other vacations. The anticipation can almost kill you.
Sometimes we travel to places we have only seen in pictures or on TV, and we so much like what we see that we can only dream of similar opportunities for ourselves—opportunities for relaxation, for friendship, for a competitive challenge. Yes, a golf trip hold lots of potential, and often enough it is fully realized.
But when we start talking about events to which we’re looking forward, we have to push one right to the top of the list: the return of our Lord.
I have heard many followers of Christ speak with real joy about looking ahead to the coming weekend service. They attend a church where the worship is engaging and the Word of God is preached in a way that it jumps to life in the hearts and minds of the hearers. They also wait excitedly for the chance to visit with brothers and sisters in the faith, sharing the stories of the week, comparing notes on the excellent answers God has provided to their prayers.
Grand as this is, however, far better is the expectation of Jesus’ second coming. Why is this? The writer of Hebrews lets us in on the big reason.
When Jesus came the first time, 2000 years ago, he came with a very specific purpose. He came to die. Even those who knew him most intimately could not imagine why he kept speaking of this impending death, surely because they could not see how anything good could come of it. But Jesus knew that he must bear the sins of the people for all time—your sins and mine—in order to accomplish what the Father’s justice demanded. A perfect sacrifice had to be made for the covering of sin, and only the God-man Jesus could do it.
But Jesus will come again, and this time he will come with a far less harrowing purpose. He will come to deliver salvation to those who eagerly await his return. Who are these people? They are the believing ones, their eyes trained with assurance on his return. They are those whose sins have been forgiven and who want to see their Savior. Oh, that you and I be counted among them!
—
Jeff Hopper
October 19, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.