As a child, one of my favorite things in the month of December was getting an Advent Calendar. I would savor the excitement and anticipation of opening a little door every morning to reveal a square of chocolate in the countdown to Christmas Day.
I know now that these calendars come in many different varieties. There are ones for tea lovers with a different teabag for each day, makeup lovers with a different skincare or make-up item to try, and there are even ones for dogs with treats and squeaky toys! Commercially, Advent has become another season to cash in on, as companies market their products to bring surprise to dark December days.
O how I remember counting down the days on my calendar, waiting for Christmas to come.
As I grow in years and in faith as a follower of Jesus, I realize I am constantly learning that the journey of faith is filled with waiting – waiting on God’s Word for the Holy Spirit to speak, waiting on prayers to be answered, waiting on the Lord to fulfill His purposes and promises, and, of course, ultimately, waiting on Christ’s return.
Sometimes waiting is hard. Oh for the child-like simplicity of knowing on day three of my calendar that I only had twenty two more doors to open, twenty two more sleeps to go until expectation became realization and celebration, as Christmas Day finally would finally arrive.
When we don’t know how long we have to wait, that’s when our trust, patience, and hope are put to the test. This is the beauty of the Advent season. We are given a reason to be reminded of the first coming of our Savior to Earth over two thousand years ago. Because the story of Christmas is true, we can be sure (and should be ready) that He has promised He will come again.
In our Scripture passage for today, the Lord Jesus Himself speaks of this certainty;
“Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!”
Three times in this final chapter of our Bibles, Jesus assures us He is coming soon. I checked the English dictionary for the definition of the word ‘soon’ and found it to mean ‘in or within a short time, before long, quickly.’
Two Thousand years feels like a long time, not a short time!
However, we know God’s timing is perfect. In His Word we are called to remember that “a single day is like a thousand years.” The Lord is not slow in His return. He is not delaying, rather He “is being patient toward you because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).
So, in the waiting, we are challenged to join with God’s heart for the lost and to take all opportunities to share gospel hope with those who do not yet know Jesus. We need to do it today. Let the urgency of not knowing when He will return fuel our passion to reach out and speak up – in our families, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
The promise that Jesus is coming ‘soon’ brings comfort and hope. In the midst of a really hard, dark, painful trial, it is vital to cling confidently to the assurance that there will be an end to the suffering. Jesus will never break His promise nor forsake His people. All He says is trustworthy and true, so we can be assured that He will come again and take us to be with Him. In the meantime, He remains our Immanuel, ‘God with us.’
We don’t know when, but we can trust His timing. We know God is never late. In the waiting, in the hardest of days, He is with us by His Spirit, pouring out His sustaining grace, giving strength and peace to His loved ones, promising that the trial will not ultimately crush or destroy us, and nothing can separate us from His unfailing love.
The reality that Jesus is coming ‘soon’ also spurs us on to make the most of the time we have now, getting to know the One with whom we will spend all eternity, knowing and loving Him more as we study His Word and spend time in prayer, allowing His Spirit to continue the work of sanctification, transforming us to be like Jesus, day by day.
There is also a challenge in these verses as Jesus will “pay each one according to what he has done” (v12) at His second coming. As God’s redeemed people, we will not be judged and condemned for our sin. Rather, we will be evaluated and rewarded for our service, our works, and our stewardship of all God entrusted to us.
We know and believe the gospel truth that we are not saved by our works, but we are saved for good works, which God has even prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
How we live today matters. And it matters not just for a moment, but for all eternity.
Although it is almost 40 years ago, I clearly remember being at a teenage summer camp and there was a wooden plaque on the wall inscribed with these words from a poem by the famous British missionary, C.T. Studd…
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
So, dear friend, let’s make every day count.
Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not be so comfortable in this world that is not our home, distracted by busyness, or investing time and energy in things that are not of eternal worth. May we long to live holy lives in the light of His return, and may the posture of our hearts be a yearning for it to be ‘soon.’
Amen! Come Lord Jesus!
