Unashamed

Unashamed
Words of Faith 5-17-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 John 2
[28] And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. [29] If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

Do you ever wake up and wonder... Will today be the day? As Christians, we believe that Jesus is indeed coming for us. But we also live in ways that don't affirm that expectation. We tend to think... "The Lord has tarried for twenty centuries... He will wait another day... or week... or year."
Yet every indication in Scripture is that Jesus will return in a moment of surprise. There will be a way that we know the season is near, but no one will know the time or the hour. And many agree that the time seems near.
It is interesting to realize that even if Jesus tarries a while longer, we never know the number of our days. So, we will probably be surprised on the day we meet Jesus face to face.
But John is clear that we need not be ashamed. If we "continue in Him," then we will be confident and not ashamed when He appears. If we nurture a right relationship with Him, the most important preparation will have been made. If we remain in Him and He in us, even if the work we ascribe to is not complete, we can be confident that our relationship with Him is complete. We can be "unashamed."
Frankly, when we drift away from our Lord, there can be some rather "ashamed" moments in which He might appear. You don't have to be extreme in your imaginative review of life to know that there are some times, places, conversations, relationships, activities, or entertainments during which we would strongly prefer that the Lord did not appear! That is one reason our daily walk with Him is so important.
So how about it? Will it be today? Is this the last edition of Words of Faith I will need to write? Is this your last day at work? Your last day to be right with God? Is this your last day to share or witness? It might be. So live confidently IN HIM. See you tomorrow... perhaps.

Lord, I give this day to You with the expectant hope of Your return. I choose to live in relationship and obedience to You so that I may confidently await Your return. Maranatha! (Come, Lord, Jesus.) In Your name, Amen.

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.