I was taught as a little boy that Jesus is coming back someday to take His followers with Him to heaven. I think that’s one of the most exciting subjects in all of the revelation of God! And I’m ready to go! I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I have tried to be faithful to His call on my life.

But we don’t know when He’s coming back, do we? When the Apostles asked Jesus about His return, He said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”

God has a plan that He alone knows about. Yet He asks His followers to live as if Jesus Christ could come back at any moment.

Have you ever thought about how differently you would live if you knew Jesus would return tomorrow? Would you be bolder about sharing your beliefs with your family? Would you call up your college buddies, and plead with them to give their lives to Christ?

Jesus could come back in the very next hour. That truth should motivate you and me to do everything possible to reach the people in our world with the Good News. Remember, that’s freedom from sins, a joyful life here on earth, and eternity in Heaven!

Do you know what the next great event in human civilization is going to be? It’s the second coming of Jesus Christ to take His people to be with Him in Heaven. Won’t that be exciting?

I Thessalonians 4:17 says, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” The New Testament mentions this second coming over 300 times. It was clearly an event He wanted us to be ready for.

How do you and I prepare for Jesus Christ’s return? First of all, it’s essential to have a good relationship with Him, and know Him as our Lord and Savior.

After that, we need to be faithful to the calling He has on our lives. Seconds before He ascended to heaven, after He had promised that He would come back again, Jesus said: “Go and evangelize the world.” That was the major thing on his mind as Jesus left us on earth.

If Jesus came back today, would He find you and me faithfully sharing the message of Good News with the people we know? If not, why don’t you recommit yourself to the Great Commission right now?

Remember, the Lord is coming back. In the meantime, it’s our calling, and privilege, to lead others into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christians aren’t perfect. I’ll be the first to testify to that. But one benefit we have in Jesus Christ is the eternal perspective He offers us.

When stresses and problems come our way, as they do in everyone’s life, a believer’s reaction is significantly different from a nonbeliever’s. The defining difference is the perspective with which we approach these problems.

As frustrating and painful as people and circumstances may be, Christ-followers know that this world is not the be-all and end-all. We live today in light of eternity! It’s a joyously free feeling to not be trapped by earthly burdens. We know that heaven is our true home.

This perspective is not something nonbelievers can understand. All they are living for is here and now. But the Bible says, “this world in its present form is passing away.”

There is so much more to life than the present! Won’t you reach out and tell someone about the reason for your lack of fear and worry? Won’t you tell someone what Jesus Christ has done for you?

My wife and I know a woman in England, named Emma. She felt God asking her to befriend an elderly neighbor, who was a widower. It wasn’t easy, because this old man was pretty arrogant and rude. Apparently, no one liked him. But at one point he became sick, so Emma visited him in the hospital. Over time, this belligerent man was softened by Emma’s kindness.

One day, Emma shared with him about her relationship with Jesus Christ. Then she asked if he would like to receive Jesus, by faith, into his life. Without hesitation he said, “Yes!” That 84-year-old man died shortly after his conversion, but now he’s in heaven!

It certainly wasn’t comfortable for Emma to reach out to that elderly man. But God called her out of her comfort zone, and she obeyed. Imagine what would have happened if Emma hadn’t followed God’s leading. That man probably would have died without knowing Jesus Christ.

In Luke Chapter 10, Jesus told His followers to first, love God “with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,” and then, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Is there a widow in your neighborhood, or community, whom you could befriend? It often takes so little to show them Christ’s love. And yet, as Emma can testify, your simple act of kindness can have eternal results!