What Can We Look Forward To?
1 Peter, Day 28
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- 1 Peter 5:10-11, ESV
I remember when I was a kid, I really looked forward to Christmas. My mom loved to over-do Christmas, and while my dad wasn't always super-excited about it, I know I was! As I got older, I began to look forward to going off to college, moving out of the house and into a dorm. Then, I looked forward to getting married. When we found out my wife was pregnant, we looked forward to becoming parents.
At some point, and I'm not sure when, I think I stopped looking forward to the next thing to come in this life. My oldest son is less than three years away from college, but I can't really say I'm looking forward to that, or to his driving, which will come even sooner, I think. So, what can I look forward to?
Part of the benefit of stopping always looking forward in this life is that it allows you to enjoy and be thankful for the now, for God's present blessings. But the now often involves real struggle, conflict, temptation, and even persecution. So, what can we look forward to?
Well, in a word: everything! As believers in Jesus Christ, we have everything to look forward to! Peter tells us that "the God of all grace . . . will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." In this life we suffer "a little while," but the glorious day is coming when everything we have lost will be restored with much more added, everything we have been questioned in believing will be confirmed, our weakness will be strengthened perfectly, and our wavering hope will be established firmly.
When can we expect this glorious restoration, confirmation, strengthening, and establishing? God does bring these blessings in seasons in this life, but the fullness and permanence of these gifts will be ours in eternal glory. When Jesus comes again, and He defeats every enemy, and His reign is established forever, then we will be established with Him forever.
And this reality brings us to the most amazing and exciting thing we have to look forward to: God has called us to His eternal glory in Christ. We will be fully restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established when we are enjoying God's eternal glory forever in Christ. Imagine enjoying the glory of God forever! That's beyond our wildest imagination!
I don't know about you, but I am most definitely looking forward to that glorious day!
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