September 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We do not long for the return of the Lord with the ardor of the early Christians. That's one of the reasons why we are unable to understand some of their problems.

They were so sure that Jesus would display his lordship soon that they were expecting him any time. But after they had lived in this hope for a few years, some of the members of the congregation died. They "fell asleep," the Bible says. That's the Christian word for dying.

Then the Christians who buried their loved ones felt doubly sad. Not only did they experience the common pain of death, they also thought that the departed loved one would miss out on the excitement of Jesus' return. That day was so sure and so close. But now the beloved departed, who had spoken so often of the day of the Lord, would not see it.

Such a problem can exist only in a community where the question is con­stantly asked: "Will the Lord come today? Will we see him tomorrow?"

We don't live in that kind of a Christian community.

But the Thessalonians should not have worried, says Paul. Those who are still living when Christ returns will have no special privileges. They "will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." As a matter of fact, if there is going to be any kind of prominence, the faithful departed are going to have that place. "The dead in Christ will rise first" (v. 16).

And yet it will not be a matter of "They get this and we get that," for all of us, together with them, will be caught up by God's irresistible power. It is not true that only those who stay on earth will see the Lord. The meeting place will be "in the air." Then the reunited family will be with the Lord forever.

We certainly hope that our eyes may see him before we die. But if it pleases the Lord to let us fall asleep before his coming, we will nevertheless attend the celebration on Victory Day.

REFLECTIONS

Should we live in greater awareness of the Lord's return? If so, how would we do that?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.