READING: Ezekiel 43-45, 1 John 2:28-3:24
“So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).
I start with this verse today because I want you to focus on it briefly. John’s affection for the believers is evident in his tenderly calling the brothers and sisters his “little children.” He loves them, and he wants them to walk faithfully with God. He desires that they remain faithful in Christ until His return; and if they do, they “may have confidence and not be ashamed before him” (1 John 2:28). They would not then shrink in shame when they stood before Him.
Indeed, the early church was much influenced by the urgency and immediacy of Jesus’ return. Though they may have miscalculated the time of Jesus’ return, they nevertheless understood that the promise of Jesus’ return in the future affects our present-tense walk with God. When you believe that the skies could open any moment with the return of Christ, you will live differently today.
What does the way you live say about your belief in the return of Christ?
TODAY’S PRAYER: “Lord, remind me today that every moment could be the time of Jesus’ second coming—and convict me to live differently in that light.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch-up day