S26P1 – Our future in Christ: reunited

Matt. 26:63‭-‬64
But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I call on You to swear a binding oath by the living God, that you tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it; but more than that I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

One of the most exciting and stressful parts of life is the fact that there are so many unknowns. I recall sitting in job interviews shortly before and right after graduation faced with the same question by just about every interviewer. Each one wanted to know where I saw myself in five years. I usually would answer that five years ago I had not seen myself going back to school or sitting in that interview room. It is just as impossible to say with any confidence what the next five minutes of life will bring. We think we have it all under control, and we surely have plans for the extremely near future, but there are no guarantees. Fortunately, our future with Jesus Christ is filled with guarantees. The greatest of these is knowing that one day He surely will return to be united with the humanity that He came to save.

Oh how difficult it can be waiting for Jesus to return for us. Many things in this world will try to distract us and perhaps convince us that this is nothing more than a pipe dream. But if we search the scriptures and listen to the teachings of God himself, we know that this is something that certainly will happen. When we come to a realization of exactly what this world has to offer us, we must search for something more. If this short and imperfect life were all that is available to us, that might be the saddest news ever. What is even more sad is that many people live and die believing just that. In all actuality, they never lived. Outside of Christ, there exists only death. The future we await in which Jesus Christ returns for those who love him speaks of the moment when we get to begin life perfected. We move from a shadow of living into true living with God himself for eternity.

I have never developed a five-year plan. I do, however, have a five-year hope. Although I am sure that Christ will return, I do not know when that will happen. Not even the Son knows the hour or day of his return. My five-year hope is that Jesus returns for us and begins the reign we all await. But if this does not happen in the next five years, or the next ten years, or even the next fifty years, I still know that He is coming back. His word is true. His guarantee of a future with him is the fuel that helps us persevere through the trials and evils that this world has in store for us. Father, thank You that we can look forward to the return of your Son Jesus Christ to usher in his reign, and help us to remain vigilant and faithful until that time comes.