Living with Expectation

It has been said that there are only two inevitable things in life: death and taxes. The truth is, you can choose not to pay taxes. Clearly, there will be consequences, but you can make that choice. That leaves us with only one inevitable thing in our lives – death. Scripture tells us that, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement” (Hebrews 9:27).

We make plans for all sorts of things. We plan for the career that we want. We angle for the job we want. We save for the retirement we want. We train for activities that we enjoy participating in. We take classes or seminars that help us to be more successful at things we enjoy doing. But how often do we give intentional thought to eternity?

If we are not careful, we can allow the truth of Hebrew 9:27 to loom over us like a dark cloud. Our thoughts can be focused on the fact we will die and that we will face judgement. But if we read on, we discover that we actually have great hope. Scripture says that just as we are appointed to die and face judgement, “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

What should drive our life is not a fear of judgement, but an eager expectation that our Lord will return. We live lives that honor him, not out of dread, but out of a great desire to honor the one who has dealt with my sin through his death.

Live your life with expectation. Yes, death is a certainty (unless Christ returns first), but so is the return of the one who paid the price for your sin and mine. Be motivated by love, grace, and a certain expectation of redemption – not by a fear of punishment. Let us, “eagerly wait for him.”