Luke 12:40

Devotional Thoughts

By David Wilkerson

When I was a boy the cry of the church was, “Jesus is coming!” All through my teenage years, every evangelist who came to preach in my father’s church had a stirring message about the soon return of Christ. Yet, the powerful cry, “Jesus is coming!” is seldom heard in God’s house today.

The New Testament gives many warnings that mockers will appear in the last days, ridiculing the doctrine of Christ’s coming. The devil has whispered a different lie into the ears of many believers. That lie is, “Christ has delayed his coming.”

Once someone accepts the devil’s lie, here is the fruit: Because he sees no need to watch for Christ’s coming, he doesn’t see any need to make peace with his fellow servants. There is no need to preserve unity at home, at work, in the church, no need to make things right with others.

I urge you: For a moment try to set aside all thoughts of differing doctrines about Christ’s coming. Instead, listen to the heart-cry of the man and woman who love the thought of our Lord’s appearing. This cry is at the heart of the entire matter: “We shall see him face to face. We shall behold him” (see 1 Corinthians 13:12).

Jesus’ coming ought to thrill your heart. It ought never to disturb you. Can you imagine what it will be like when he calls you by name?

Beloved, how can we tell Christ we love him and miss him yet never pray he comes back for us? How can we never express to him our cry that he must come back and take us with him so we can be in his constant company?

May this be our cry continually: “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”