Bible Reading: I Thessalonians 4
Key Verse: Verse 16 – “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”
Key Words: the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
The promise of the Lord’s return can be found throughout the Word of God. John 14:1-3 says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Acts 1:11 promises, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Revelation 1:7 tells us, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Many other verses also teach us that the Lord is coming again.
The question is, are we ready if the Lord should return today?
A tourist was exploring the sights of Lake Como in Northern Italy and came upon a beautiful castle called the “Villi Asconiti.” Feeling brave, he pushed open the gate and went inside. To his delight everything was beautiful. Flowers were blooming in rainbow colors. The shrubbery was luxuriously green and magnificently pruned to precision. Over to the side, the man noticed a gardener on his hands and knees clipping nearly every blade of grass. The man asked, “May I look at the garden?”
“You’re welcome to come in, and I’m glad to have you as a guest.”
The man began to tour the grounds and asked the gardener, “Is the owner here today?”
The gardener replied, “Oh no, he’s away.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” he asked.
“Oh, I’ve never really seen him,” said the gardener, “but he promised he would come back.”
The tourist could not believe his ears. “But you have everything so beautiful. It looks as if he’s coming tomorrow.”
“Could be today,” replied the gardener. “That’s the reason I keep his garden so beautiful.”
Every child of God should live that way -- as if Christ is coming back today.
Someone has said, “We should be living as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back this afternoon.” He is coming again, and I believe soon. Are you ready?
What to do:
✞ Live everyday as if it were the day the Lord is returning.
✞ Always be doing what you want to be doing when the Lord returns.
✞ Never be where you would not want to be if the Lord were to return today.
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