The Bridge Between My Response and His Return

Today’s Bible reading is Isaiah 35 and 1 Corinthians 1.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:4-9)

Called into fellowship with God and waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s where we find ourselves in human history. Called and waiting.

Today, I’m thankful for the word in the middle that bridges the gap between my response to the gospel and Jesus’ return. SUSTAINED.

…as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end… (1 Cor 1:7-8)

SUSTAINED. To sustain is to give support, to supply, or to keep up. Think about that.

Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. He has been triumphantly raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Ever since his ascension, his disciples have been waiting for the revealing of their Lord…

…but not waiting on their own. To this day, we are not waiting in our own strength, goodness, or wisdom. The face of God’s grace, the friend for whom we wait, sustains us. Today, on an ordinary Monday, we wait for his revealing. And for as long as we have to wait, we are sustained. Till the end, his brothers and sisters will be sustained. Even in death, the faithful–now resting from their labors–are sustained.

Think about that. As you read and meditate on the Scriptures this week, you are being sustained. As you pray this week, you are being sustained. As you worship, you are being sustained.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

As branches wait for the rain, we wait for him, in him. God is faithful. He always has been. He will be. “To the end.”