Confident hope!

Are you a confident person? I’m not really. I second guess myself a lot. There’s a big difference between confidence and arrogance but sometimes it seems the same. One of my hero’s from the Bible, a man who I want to meet when I get to heaven after meeting Jesus, is Paul. Paul was a confident man and some of his statements might be thought as arrogant but in fact he was a very humble man. They would only seem arrogant if we don’t understand the source of his confidence. You see, his confidence wasn’t in himself but in Christ! He endured so much suffering during his missionary journeys. Everywhere he went he was tortured and persecuted but he kept going because he knew that God was with him and that even though his body was subject to pain and death, nothing could harm his soul because it belonged to Jesus. When he knew that he was about to be killed, he made a statement that again could be construed as arrogant but instead displayed his confidence in his Savior. In 2 Timothy 4:7&8 he says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only me but to all who long for his appearing!!
How amazing could it be to live a life so dedicated to the gospel of Christ, so in love with Jesus, that at the ends of your days you could say these words? We can!! No, we don’t deserve any of that. Paul didn’t either and he knew it! It’s because of Jesus and his work that we can boast of our eternal reward! It is him that is our reward!! Do we just look forward to heaven because we want set free from pain and discomfort? Is it not to meet our Savior? The last words in the verse said not only me but all those who long for his appearing!! Isn’t that what we long for? Yes!! We long for Jesus to come again!! Let’s join Paul and live our lives for the one who has bought our salvation and let us look eagerly for his return! May we all have our confident hope in him alone!! Dear Jesus, we long for your appearing. We wait patiently, or sometimes not patiently for you to come! Keep us to our work in the waiting and help us endure life here with joy in our hearts knowing with great confidence that you will come just as you said you would!! And come quickly!!
Be confident in Christ today! Keep your feet on the ground, your hands to your work, and your eyes ever looking for his return!!