THE KINGDOM IS UPON US… but it is not yet ruling on earth. How eager are we for that moment to finally arrive, when Christ returns to put an end to all the ungodliness in the world? Will we be spiritually ready when that time comes?
We don’t know exactly when that will be, but we do know through the Bible that we need to watch and be ready. At the same time, we have to keep living our lives as if there was a whole lifetime ahead of us – and we must do so with patience. We MUST have patience. Our patience is tested all the time, in everything we do: “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption [better: sonship], the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:23-25).
We eagerly wait to rule with Christ as God Beings, as immortal members of the God Family. This is what we hope for with patience, and even though we do not know exactly WHEN it will happen, we DO know THAT it will happen. We will be blessed when we endure until the end (compare James 5:11). God also has a tremendous deal of patience, especially with us. He expects us to make it, despite the times when we stumble. It really gives us much hope, knowing that we are called and that God has the confidence in us that we will be in His Kingdom, even though we slip up from time to time. Just as we are patient, God is as well.
The Bible tells us how we ought to live—how we should behave as Christians. You might want to review Romans 12:9-21. Everything mentioned in that passage requires patience. This is what we are to do every day, until Christ’s return, and James 5:7-8 also instructs us in this way: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
