Preparing for His Appearing

“The Current Financial Crisis – Are We Trapped?” The title of the breakout session at the men’s conference I was attending jumped out from the page of seminar choices. Although the breakout session had been planned for months, the topic had taken on even greater significance just that week. It was September 20, 2008, and as we met in the gymnasium of the local boarding academy, the United States Congress was meeting in the Capitol Building to plan an emergency bailout package. The previous week had seen the collapse of Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers, the buyout of Merrill Lynch, and the plunge of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

I decided to go to the breakout. Through an hour-long presentation, the answer to the seminar title’s question, “Are We Trapped?” became increasingly clear. “Yes.” However, the question that was most important to me had not been answered in the session. It was clear that there was a serious crisis before us, and that a global economic crisis could rapidly lead to the fulfillment of Revelation 13’s prophecy “that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast”. But my question was, What should I do right now to prepare for the coming crisis?

Jesus told His disciples that there would be a time of great crisis before His second coming. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). So the crisis is coming, and the question is, how do we prepare for this troubling time at the end of earth’s history?

Should I be starting to stockpile provisions in a mountain cabin somewhere? Do I need to diligently track every movement of political and religious leaders, looking for evidence of the end? Will understanding the secret plots of all the conspiracy theories ensure I will be ready when that day comes?

Sometimes thinking about all of the turmoil ahead can make you want to run away and hide in a cave somewhere. Jesus predicted that seeing the signs of His soon return would fill men with fear. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25,26).

So what did He say to do when we began seeing these signs fulfilled? Did He say to run away? Did He say to look around at all the distress on the earth? No, He said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). His directions for preparation are, “look up and lift up your heads”, for I am drawing near.

When we see the signs of Jesus coming, it is time to really look to Jesus. When we focus on Him, our hearts will become like Paul’s – eager for Jesus’ return. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...” (Philippians 3:20).

Eagerly anticipating Jesus coming isn’t just a nice escape for those who don’t want to think about the serious realities of the end times. In fact, Paul says that all who will receive Christ’s reward on the day He comes again will “love his appearing”. “Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

We don’t need to start saying, “Okay, so if I want to get the crown, I need to start loving His appearing.” Loving His appearing is not another character trait to be fabricated by our efforts. How you feel about His return is a reflection of what is really happening in your heart toward Jesus. There is a natural relationship between loving Jesus, and loving the fact that He is coming back.

Love for Jesus is the common character trait of all who receive that crown Jesus has promised. The most essential preparation for the days ahead of us is a heart that is truly in love with Jesus. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

He’s coming soon, and I’m loving that thought more and more every day. Don’t you want to fall more in love with Jesus too?

The Backwards Birthday Party

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Joshua who had a birthday. His parents planned a party for him, and he invited all of his friends to come and celebrate. The day of the party came, and everything was ready. There was a big cake, party hats, noisemakers, banners and balloons. Over in one corner of the room, was a big pile of presents, all neatly wrapped, each one labeled with the name of one of the invited guests. Josh had bought an expensive gift for each of his friends using his own money. His piggy bank was cleaned right out!

Josh waited eagerly as the hour approached when his friends would arrive. Soon the doorbell rang, and the first little boy was welcomed into the home. He carried a bright red box, wrapped with a green bow. Josh’s mother directed him to place his present on a table off to one side of the room and go play in the living room. The bell rang again, and one by one, the children began to arrive. Each child came in with a gift, neatly wrapped with colorful wrapping paper and a bow, and deposited their package on the growing pile on the table.

Everything sounds pretty normal so far, right? But as the afternoon continued on, it became clear that this was a backwards birthday party. Take the cake for example. One of the dads dropped off his son, marched over to the cake, and crossed out Josh’s name where it said, "Happy Birthday Josh." Then he wrote his son’s name instead. The party games were mixed up too. It was clear that all the invited guests were having a wonderful time playing together, but no one was paying any attention to the birthday boy who had invited them. Josh kept trying to join in the game they were playing, but they pushed him out, saying they didn’t want him to play.

After the guests amused themselves for a while with the games, they ate the cake, and excitedly turned their attention to the pile of presents on the table. Finally, it seemed like Josh would have a chance to enjoy his own birthday. But as absurd as it may sound, when Josh went to choose the first gift, he couldn’t find a single one with his name on it. The guests had all bought presents for each other, but no one had brought a gift for Josh! Instead of complaining, he kindly handed out the gifts to the children whose names were on them.

Soon they were all eagerly opening the gifts that they had brought for each other. There were a couple of little plastic cars, some bouncy balls, yo-yo’s, dolls, a puzzle, candy, and other assorted items you might find at the local dollar store. Each child took their turn tearing the wrapping paper off their gifts, shouted joyfully when they saw what was inside, and sincerely thanked the giver for their wonderful gift. A few minutes of fun were had by all as they tried out their new toys.

After the children opened their presents from each other, Josh excitedly led them over to the other pile of gifts. "These," he explained, "are the gifts that I’ve bought for you. I’m glad you came to my party, and I hope you like them." Now these were no cheap dollar store gifts. Josh had sacrificed all the money he had saved up and chosen each gift carefully with a specific friend in mind. With expectant eyes, he took each of his guests’ gifts and handed it to them personally, hoping they would be happy with what he had chosen for them.

As the first little girl pulled off the wrapping paper, the corners of Josh’s mouth turned up in anticipation, but his heart sank when she wrinkled her nose in disgust and dropped the gift on the floor. The next little boy let out a loud sigh as he saw what was inside his package. With each gift he passed out, Josh had the same look of anticipation, hopeful that they would appreciate the gift he’d paid so much to get them. But one by one the children opened their presents with similar reactions of disappointment, apathy, or disgust. One little girl refused to even open her gift. Another boy was so busy playing with his plastic yo-yo that he didn’t even notice Josh trying to give his gift to him. No one even said a polite thank you.

Finally, it came time for the last little girl, Kristina, to open her gift. She peeled back the wrapping paper and peeked underneath it with a quizzical look on her face. There were no flashing lights, beeps, or buttons. She recognized a familiar object that her parents and some of her friends owned. She knew it was expensive, but it was familiar, quite ordinary.

At first she wasn’t too impressed, but then she looked up and saw the expression on Josh’s face. She thought about the gift she had seen, and it struck her that someone had paid a high price for that gift. As she saw the intense hopeful earnestness with which Josh was looking at her, a flash of recognition crossed her face. She realized that it was Josh who had paid for it with his own money, and that he had done it just for her. Her mouth fell open, and she jumped up with a squeal and ran over to hug Josh. "Thank you Josh! Thank you so much!" she cried.

The other children peered curiously at Kristina, wondering what was wrong with her. They could plainly see that the gift she had in her hand was the same thing they had all received. They began to mock and ridicule her for her unnecessary excitement. One of the parents chatting in the group behind the children scolded her, saying, "Kristina, stop carrying on so loudly about the gift. Some of the other children didn’t like it, and you might offend one of them." But in spite of the misunderstanding and discouragement of the others around her, Kristina gratefully held the gift close and wouldn’t let it go.

Sound a little far fetched? It might. But Joshua, or should I say Jesus, has a birthday party like that each year. We say that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. But do we celebrate like it is his birthday party, or like it is our own? For the majority of the world, Christmas is just a time to give gifts to each other, enjoy a few holiday traditions with family, and trick the kids into thinking their gifts come from Santa Clause. And those who do want to celebrate Jesus’ birthday are often discouraged from doing so openly because it might offend those who don’t appreciate Jesus.

The point I’m trying to make is not that we shouldn’t give gifts to each other at Jesus’ birthday party. Yes, we should avoid going to extremes just to keep up with the current fads and fashions of the world. I don’t think Jesus wants us to celebrate His birthday by going into debt, or giving each other things we don’t really need, while neglecting the poor around us who don’t even have the basic necessities. But giving gifts can help us to practice the selflessness that Jesus demonstrated by the way he celebrated his own birthday.

For Jesus, the most exciting part of His birthday party is the gift that He has bought for us. Jesus was not born to get something from us, but to give the most precious gift that has ever been given. Like Josh, He paid everything He had for this gift. He gave up the glory of Heaven, traded His divine appearance for a human body, left the joy of His Father’s physical presence, and suffered insult, abuse, and a torturous death (Philippians 2:5-8). And that high price was paid for every person, even though he knew that some people wouldn’t value it, some would choose to reject it, and some would be so distracted that they wouldn’t even notice Him giving them the gift.

The more time we spend dwelling on that selflessness that Jesus showed, the more we will appreciate it, and the more we will be motivated to selflessly serve Him and others. This year, commit to spending time with Him every day considering that amazing gift that He has given. Take a long look at his unconditional love, as demonstrated by his sacrifice on behalf of the very men who were nailing Him to the cross (Luke 23:34). Spend time talking with Him about what He has done for you. Thank Him for His gift.

Most gifts are lost, broken or forgotten by next Christmas. But this gift will become more valuable to you with use. Hold it tightly. After a whole year of this daily dwelling on His great gift, you will definitely be a Kristina. I guarantee you, Jesus’ next birthday party will be the best one yet.