Come, Lord Jesus

It’s easy to look at this world and all the evil in it and get discouraged. But as Christians we can have hope. Why?

Paul writes,

If anyone does not love the Lord –a curse be on him. Come, O Lord! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. (1 Corinthians 16:22-23)

Those first words seem pretty harsh, but the truth is, anyone who doesn’t love the Lord is under a curse.

They have broken God’s law, and what’s more, have rejected their only hope of salvation in Jesus, some even going so far as to curse him (1 Corinthians 12:3).

But for those of us who do love the Lord, Jesus has taken our curse for us. Paul wrote in Galatians,

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

By dying on the cross, he paid for our sin, and fulfilled the requirements of the law, namely the justice it required for our sins.

But not only did he die, he conquered death and rose from the dead.

And because he lives, we know that we also will live (John 14:19).

The day will come when Jesus will return, and on that day, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed, and we will be like him.

Every tear will be wiped from our eyes, and all sorrow and mourning will be gone forever.

So along with Paul, we now cry out “Maranatha,” or, “Come Lord Jesus.”

The other hope that we have, though, is that until that day comes, Jesus gives us his grace.

Day by day, through our failings and sin, he intercedes for us.

Through our trials, he gives us the strength to carry on. And what he has started in us, he will bring to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

So whatever you’re going through, don’t ever give up hope.

Rather, each day let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that in him, we have hope, and we have life.