“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13)
When a husband is away on a business trip from a wife who loves him dearly, he counts the minutes until he will return to her, while she solaces herself in that moment that they will be reunited. The days pass by filled with the necessary requirements of life, but in a more hollow and empty way, for their love for each other is expressed fully when they are together.
“And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” (Matt. 19:5)
A soldier who is unmarried does not have these thoughts, he obeys the orders of his commanding officer, not out of love and not always, but perhaps sometimes, out of a respect for not only the rank or position he holds, but because of the character and integrity of the one in authority over him. He does not pine away the hours waiting for him to return, but follows the directives and obligations placed upon him without question and to the best of his ability out of a reverence to the one he is to obey.
There are many born-again believers who are waiting for the Lord to call us into the clouds, to meet Him in the air. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1st Thess. 4:17) Some, when the opportunity arrives, will run up and hug Him and in great love for the Savior hold Him close for as long as possible. Others will bow the knee to their Commander, thanking Him for the opportunity to serve Him and politely ask what His next orders are for them.
The loving wife does not fritter and waste the hours away waiting for her husband to return, she serves as a Proverbs 31 woman, regulating her time appropriately in ways that honor her husband, while the man away on the business trip attempts to do the best he can to try to keep his mind focused on the tasks at hand, while incessantly looking as his watch waiting to return to the one he loves.
All three of these, the wife, the husband and the soldier are not standing around idly waiting, they are working, they are performing the tasks set before them, even the repetitive ones that daily life requires, they are not staring out the window impatiently, they are not just “keeping busy.”
There are souls to reach out to my friends, there are brothers and sisters in Christ who have needs, who are hurting, who need a kind, reassuring word from those who love them. There is much work to be done while we wait for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It takes perseverance to continue on the path when your heart aches for the One you love above all to return, it requires effort to obey when the Commander is not by your side. We have tasks that have been set before us, and we are expected to continue in them for the glory of God. We are not to sit and wait for the next orders, but use the initiative given us to search for more that will do just that, bring glory and honor to the One we love, to the One we serve.
The husband will return to his wife, and they will embrace each other in a way that only true love can be expressed. The commander will return, right on time, and the soldier of Christ will listen intently for his next orders, obeying them without question, for the One he serves is honest, trustworthy, and deserving of the devotion of his life.
“In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19)
There is great truth in the words of our Lord when He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
Serve Him well for His glory.
