Friday, August 31, 2012

Chap. 244 Preparing to Meet Jesus


"And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28.
Only by knowing God here can we prepare to meet Him at His coming.... In
His lessons and His mighty works Christ is a perfect revelation of God. This Christ
declares through the inspired evangelist. “No man hath seen God at any time,” He
says; “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared
him” (John 1:18). “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any
man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
These words show the importance of studying Christ’s character. Only by knowing
Christ can we know God.
As our representative, Christ stands on the highest possible ground. When He
came to the world as God’s messenger, He held the salvation of God in His hand.
All mankind was delivered to Him, for in Him was the fullness of the Godhead....
So fully did Christ reveal the Father that the messengers sent by the Pharisees to
take Him were charmed by His presence.... As they beheld the soft light of the
glory of God that enshrouded His person, as they heard the gracious words that fell
from His lips, they loved Him. And when ... they were asked by the Pharisees,
“Why have ye not brought him?” they answered, “Never man spake like this man”
(John 7:45, 46).
As we behold Christ we shall be changed into His image and made fit to meet
Him at His coming. Now is the time to prepare for the coming of our Lord.
Readiness to meet Him cannot be attained in a moment’s time. Preparatory to
that solemn scene there must be vigilant waiting combined with earnest work. The
union of these two makes us complete in Christ. The active and devotional must
be combined as were the human and divine in Christ. So God’s children glorify
Him. Amid the busy scenes of life their voices will be heard speaking words of
encouragement, hope, and faith. The will and the affections will be consecrated to
Christ. Thus they prepare to meet their Lord; and when He comes, they will say,
with joy: “This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.”
p. 250

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