When will Jesus return?

One of the most commonly asked questions that a Pastor faces is "when will Jesus return?" This isn’t a question that man can answer. You find people everywhere you go that have their opinions based on world events, but the reality is, "only the Father will know." The bottom line is that we should be more concerned about how we’re acting when Christ returns rather than being so concerned about when He returns. Take a look at this passage:

Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.-1 John 3:2

It's worth noting that whenever the subject of the Lord's return comes up in Scripture, it is usually connected to a command, or suggestion, to take action as a result.

For example, 2 Peter 3:10 tells us, "But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment."

We might ask, "So what? What does that mean to me?" Peter continues, "Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!" (verse 11). You see, it should affect us because when Jesus does return, we’ll be judged on our actions, not on whether or not we were right about when He returned.

But nowhere in the Bible are we told to quit our jobs and sit on a rooftop or hide out in the mountains as we wait for the Lord's return. Rather, the Bible constantly tells believers to live godly lives. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5, "But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. . . . So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober" (verses 4, 6).

In speaking of Christ's return, John tells us in his epistle, "And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure." Yes, Jesus is coming. And if we believe that, it should impact the way we live. It should give us the desire to live a holier life. It should give us the desire to always be working towards cleaning up our hearts so Christ will have a clean place to live.

Our lives are filled with trials and troubles. Each step we take towards Jesus becomes harder because Satan will throw anything he can in our way to distract us. Satan uses these sort of arguments and distractions to keep us from being ready when the Lord does come. So don’t worry about the whens, be concerned about the Hows (how ready is your heart?).

Live as if today were the last
Pastor Mike









Only a Mother

Can listen to the same knock-knock joke 27 times without hollering "Nobody's Home."

Will be a Scrabble partner with a kid who thinks "cookie" begins with "k."

Will unwind 56 feet of toilet paper so her little darling can have the empty roll...to make a Mother's Day present.

Knows the location of every drive-through window in town.

Will try to hide a leafy green vegetable in a cookie. s the exact temperature a crayon will melt on the dashboard.

Knows the secret to happy grocery shopping with a toddler...visit the bakery aisle first and plug his lips with a big cream horn.

Can cherish the 1,000th bleating of "Twinkle, Twinkle" from a budding violinist.

Sees a Picasso in those scribbles decorating the fridge.

Knows all the verses to "This Old Man."

Can deal out emergency lunch money from the dryer lint filter.

Can find her last good pair of panty hose hitching a wagon to a tricycle.

Knows the sure-fire way to get three kids to eat carrots... buy two carrots.

Is limber enough to wrestle a fitted sheet onto the top bunk bed.

Invests fifty dollars in stale macaroons to help send the French Club to Disneyland.

Will attempt to grow hydroponic tomatoes in one night for a last-minute science project.

Can see across town and locate a missing shoe from her office desk phone.

Can switch from cook to catcher in an instant.

Has a bathtub that's filled with little yellow duckies.

Seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.