3 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Think about Jesus’ Return

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

What are the things that consume your heart? Is it the economy? Maybe the wars happening around the globe. You could be worried about the upcoming election season and who wins it. Maybe your concern is financial, and you are worried about inflation or interest rates. It could be possible you are not worried about any of these things because you are in a strong financial position.

Regardless of where you stand with any of these issues, they are only temporary. It does not mean they are not important; it just means they are temporary and you should not get consumed by them.

It's easy to get sidetracked and worry about these things. However, sometimes it is important to look at life from an eternal perspective. When you do, your view will change. When you think from an eternal perspective, people matter more than your positions and God’s kingdom matters more than your country.

If we are not careful, we can become so enthralled with what is happening either in our house, our country, or our world that we forget the bigger picture. These things will one day pass away. As you walk through this life, please don’t forget to live in the present world, but to keep your hope on eternal things because in this life, you are a pilgrim, not a settler. This world is not our eternal home. Remembering this will help you view this life from the right perspective.

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“’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (John 4:34).

Whose purpose are you living for? If you are living for God’s purpose, then that should permeate every part of your life. This should influence where you live, where you work, who you marry, how you raise your children, what church you attend, and every other area of your life. God has a purpose for everything you do. Our responsibility is to surrender to that purpose. 

I love what Jesus says here in John 4. His desire was not just to do God’s will but to finish the job he was sent to do. This means it is not just about starting well but finishing well, too. A logical question to ask would be, how do you know if you are living for God’s purpose or your own? Here are some questions to ask yourself that may reveal whose purpose you are living for.

• Do you seek his direction in every decision you make?
• Do you pray for his will to be done and are you willing to submit to his will, whatever that is?
• Do you only focus on what you want to accomplish?
• Do you conform to what his word says, or do you try to get his word to conform to what you want?

The way you answer questions like these will help define whose purpose has priority in your life. Sometimes we are blind to the reality that we are chasing our own dreams and desires at the expense of neglecting God’s will. I am not saying don’t have dreams. I am saying to make sure they align with God’s purpose.

At the end of it all, when we stand before the Lord, he won’t ask did you fulfill all your dreams. He will ask, did you do what I told you to do? Let it be that for me and you, the answer will be yes.

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“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-2).

For those who are living for Jesus to return, one area it will affect is how you live. If you have the hope of seeing Jesus, you are going to live a holy life. Just think about it. If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, would that change how you live today? The obvious answer is yes (or it should be). People that chase after the pleasures of this life don’t live with an awareness that Jesus will come again and is coming soon. However, people who know that Jesus could return at any moment live ready for his return. 

Living ready for his return does not mean you bury your head in the sand or sell all your possessions and go live on a mountain waiting for him. If anyone tells you to do that, ignore them. Those who live ready do two things: they live holy, and they do God’s will until he comes.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns” (Matthew 24:45-46).

A pure heart, holy living, and a desire to do God’s will. These are indicators of those who are ready and looking forward to Jesus returning.

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Here is one of the last verses written in the Bible. 

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon’” (Revelation 22:20).

When you think about those words, hopefully it stirs you to action. No one can say when Jesus is coming. We won’t know until it happens. For that reason, our job is to be ready. Let’s be the people he has called us to be and let’s do the things he has called us to do. Whether he comes in our lifetime or his return is still hundreds of years away, we should all be ready. Jesus will come soon and I want to be doing what he has asked me to do when he comes.

“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11).

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