Anticipate Jesus

Anticipate – to expect; look forward to; to be Blue lithium sure of; to hope for

Matthew 24:43- 44

Know this, if the Propranolol anxiety master of Buy Cefixime Online the house Advair Diskus 500 mcg had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

So, if we are to anticipate our Savior’s return more than we anticipate things of this world, what does that look like?  How do we look forward to our eternity with Jesus?  I suppose that is really why we are here.  If we are anticipating it as we should then we will be preparing now.  How do we do that?  I think that the way we anticipate things of this world can be a good starting place.  So, let’s look at an example.

I don’t know about you but I really enjoy a good movie.  So, when one is coming out soon I start preparing for it and looking forward to it.  Let me share with you some of the ways I anticipate that next big blockbuster and then translate that into how we should anticipate Christ.  If you can’t relate to this example think of something that you get really excited about.  I am sure you can think of some upcoming event or thing that would work for you.

Be sure

Rumors can be fun but until the film has been officially announced it is hard to be that excited about it.  So when they finally announce a release date that is when the anticipation starts.

In the same way, how can we anticipate something we are not sure of?  Are you sure of your salvation from the sin that separates you from God that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  What a waste it would be to anticipate something that you will not get to experience!  Be sure of your salvation!

Read and Study

So, this movie has a release date.  At this point I would begin to find all the information I could to read up on it.  Who is going to be in it?  What director are they picking?  Who is writing the script?  Details.  How is the production going?  (I really do put too much into a movie I am excited about sometimes.)

If I go into that much depth about a movie how much more effort should I put into knowing about Jesus and what I need to do to prepare here for the eternity that I will share with Him?  The best way to do this is to get into the letter He has provided for us.  It has all the details we need.  We can find out all about Him.  Who is He?  Why did He come to die and rise again?  What did he tell us to do while we are here?  Reading is good, but studying is better.  Dig deep into the Bible.

Think

This might seem simple, but the things we care about most will dominate our thoughts.  After I have found out details about this movie I will invest some thought into them.  I will run those details through my head again.

In the same way, if Jesus is important to me I will think about my life here and my eternity with Him.  I will fit him into every thought process.  He will be the main factor in the different aspects of my life.  My decisions will be based on Him.  Put some thought into what Jesus means to you now and in eternity.

Tell others

When I am convinced that this is a movie that no one should miss, I tell them about it.  I tell them the things I have read about it, the things I have thought about.  I have literally evangelized people about a movie.

This is a perfect response if I am anticipating Jesus the way I should. I will want others to know of the hope that I have.  It should be something exciting to us.  The peace that comes with knowing Jesus.  I should want to invite them to the eternity with Jesus that I am anticipating.

For all the effort I put into anticipating a movie, a vacation, or the next cool electronic toy, I should put so much more into preparing for Jesus.  Anticipate Jesus above all else.

Brian