Jesus is coming! Are you excited?

About a year ago I wrote the outline and ideas for this article and I have since wanted to write it and share it. Well, I finally did it. Writing this has been such an encouragement to me and I hope it will be to you as well.

Jesus said, "Surely I come quickly" (Revelation 22:20). Jesus' coming is sure, it is soon, and it is a surprise! This is the recipe for the most joyful anticipation.

Jesus' coming is sure! We don't have to wonder, "Is He coming or is he not coming..." We don't know when He will come, but we know He will come for sure. When I was little, my siblings and I always loved to have visitors. One of our favorite things to do was watch out the window for the visitors when it was time for them to come. We did not know the exact time that they would arrive, but we knew they were coming, so we watched in anticipation. Jesus told us to watch for His coming.

Jesus is coming soon! I used to think, "If Jesus was coming soon, how come it's been 2000 years and he hasn't come yet?" However, God gave me a new thought. The verses in Revelation say "I come," (note the present tense) "quickly." It's like Jesus is a long way away but he is running as fast as he can to get to us. Another way you can look at it is like this. When I was going away to college I wrote a note to my little sister. In it I wrote "I will come back soon. Even though it will seem like a long time, when I do come it will seem short. And I am coming as soon as I can." As the day of excitement comes closer and closer, the anticipation builds. Jesus is coming anytime now, and it should be a cause of excitement!

Jesus coming is a surprise! "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36). In the context of verses like this one, the surprise has a negative connotation. It is a warning. However, I like to look at it from a positive direction. I like surprises. Especially people surprises. When I was at Verity I often longed for my friends who had graduated to come visit. Sometimes those friends would come back for visits, and sometimes it was a surprise. One time I had been longing for a certain friend and I often found myself imagining her coming to visit. One day, while I was studying, I looked up and saw her. I don't usually express my feelings very dramatically, but I was caught off guard. I exclaimed her name in ecstasy and ran toward her and into her arms. I was in complete bliss. I think that is why Jesus' coming is going to be a surprise. He wants to catch us off guard. If we are anticipating His coming in this way, however, our reaction will be ecstasy rather than fear. This example prompts me to ask myself, "Do I anticipate Jesus' coming in this way?"

So are you joyfully anticipating Jesus' coming? I ask myself the same question. If we do, it will change how we live our life. Living with the expectancy of Christ's return will spur us to work with a new energy. It will motivate us to prepare our hearts and lives. It will cause us to live a focused, dynamic life. Jesus is coming! Are you excited?