Evening Reading for August 1 John 14:13-19 Suggested further reading: Titus 2:11-15 Now what is the `coming here spoken of? It is only fair to say that this is a disputed point among Christians. Many refer it to our Lords coming to his disciples after his resurrection. Many refer it to his invisible coming into the hearts of his people by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Many refer it to his coming by the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. It may well be doubted, however, whether any one of these three views conveys the full meaning of our Lords words: `I will come. The true sense of the expression appears to be the second personal coming of Christ at the end of the world. It is a wide, broad, sweeping promise, intended for all believers, in every age, and not for the apostles alone: `I will not stay always in heaven. I will one day come back to you. It is like the message which the angels brought to the disciples after the ascension: `This same Jesus shall come in like manner as ye have seen him go (Acts 1:11). It is like the last promise which winds up the book of Revelation: `Surely I come quickly (Rev. 22:20). Just in the same way, the parting consolation held out to believers the night before the crucifixion is a personal return: `I will come. Let us settle it in our minds that all believers are comparatively `orphans and children in their minority, until the second advent. Our best things are yet to come. Faith has yet to be exchanged for sight and hope for certainty. Our peace and joy are at present very imperfect. They are as nothing to what we shall have when Christ returns. For the return let us look and long and pray. Let us place it in the forefront of all our doctrinal system, next to the atoning death and the interceding life of our Lord. The highest style of Christians are the men who look for and love the Lords appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). For meditation: `Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Does each year of waiting for our Lords second coming make him dearer to you?
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 23:51:46 +0000
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