A Happy Way to Live

All around us we can see fulfilled Bible prophecies, signs indicating that the return of Jesus Christ is drawing near.

As followers of Christ, we should be watching for Him. We need to be ready to go.

Jesus, speaking about His return, said, “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. . . . The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded” (Luke 12:35–37 NLT).

Are you ready for His return? To be ready means to be engaged in activities that you wouldn’t be ashamed to be doing if Jesus were to return. It’s a good idea to periodically ask ourselves this question: This place that I am about to go, this thing that I am about to do, would I be embarrassed if I were doing it when Jesus came back?”

Think about your plans. Is there anything you will be doing today, tonight, or tomorrow that you would be ashamed to do if Christ were to return? If so, then change your plans. You want to be ready for His return.

Not only should we be ready, but we should anxiously await the return of Christ.

We used to have a German Shepherd who slept outside the bedroom, leaning against our door. We didn’t let him sleep in our room because he often had nightmares and would wake us up. Every morning when we opened the door, he rolled into the room. Then he’d jump up and start running in circles. He was genuinely happy to see us.

That is how we should be waiting for Christ’s return. And anything that might prevent us from saying “Come quickly, Lord Jesus” is out of place in our lives.

In addition to waiting, we should be working. Every now and then, someone predicts that Jesus will return on a specific date. People believe these predictions and start quitting their jobs or divorcing their spouses.

But that is not what we should be doing as we wait for the return of Christ. Instead, we should be working for Him.

The Bible says, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works” (James 2:26 NLT).

If watching is the evidence of faith, then working is the evidence of faith in action. Watching for the Lord’s return will help us prepare our own lives. But working will ensure that we bring others with us to Heaven.

The great British preacher C. H. Spurgeon said, “It is a very blessed thing to be on the watch for Christ. . . . You can be poor without murmuring; you can be rich without worldliness; you can be sick without sorrowing; you can be healthy without presumption. If you are always waiting for Christ’s Coming, untold blessings are wrapped up in that glorious hope.”

When you live in the anticipation of Christ’s return, it’s a happy way to live.

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