And may the Lord make you increase and abound
in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may
establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
If I mention the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, what are your next
thoughts? You may reflect on one of your favorite passages in the Bible. You
may have many unanswered questions about the nature or timing of His return.
From the Gospels to Revelation, the New Testament has a lot to share about the
return of Jesus. One of my favorite references is found in Paul’s letter to the
Thessalonians.
Paul may not answer my questions about Jesus’
return, but he gives some practical guidance about how to prepare for the
future. Here’s a quick list of takeaways from these two verses. (1) Increase in
love. That’s it. It’s not complicated. Paul covers my need to love others and
then just to clear up any confusion, he expands the scope of love to include “all”. (2) Let love contribute to the condition of
my heart. It seems that love contributes to the creation of the kind of heart
that is pleasing to God. Want a blameless and holy heart? Love will help. (3)
Recognize that we will all stand “before” God at some point. This is a brief
reminder that I am/will be accountable to God for the way I live.
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