Abiding Until He Comes

 

Scripture: 1 John 2:28 (NIV)

"And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming."

Devotion:

John writes as an aged pastor, and his tenderness shows in the phrase "dear children." He has just warned about teachers who abandoned the fellowship, and his answer to such defection is not a clever new strategy but an old, simple word: continue. The same word is often translated "abide" or "remain." Stay where you are. Stay in him.

Notice that the command looks forward. Continue in him, John says, so that when he appears we may be confident. The Christian life is lived with an eye on the horizon. Christ is coming again, visibly and personally, and everything we do between now and then is shaped by that appointment. We are not drifting toward an unknown; we are waiting for a Person we already know.

Two words describe the hoped-for condition: confident and unashamed. The first is the boldness of a child who runs to a father's arms. The second names the opposite of what sinners deserve. Adam and Eve hid from God in shame, but on that day those in Christ will not hide. Yet this confidence is not rooted in our record. Anyone who has examined his own heart knows that, on our own merits, we would shrink back. Our boldness rests entirely on the One in whom we abide, whose righteousness is counted as ours.

Does this make perseverance our achievement? Not quite. Scripture holds both truths together: we are commanded to continue, and yet it is Christ who keeps his own. Abiding is not heroic effort but daily dependence, like a branch that stays attached to the vine. We remain through the ordinary means he has given: his Word, prayer, the sacraments, the fellowship of his people, and repentance when we stumble.

So, ask yourself today: am I living as one who expects him? Small acts of faithfulness matter because the day is coming. A forgiven word to a neighbor, an honest day's work, a prayer whispered in weariness: all are done in the presence of the returning King. None of it is wasted, because the Judge who comes is also the Savior who has already received us.

Prayer:

Lord, give us strength to continue in you throughout our lives. We often feel like the pressures of everyday life are too much for us. Teach us to rely on you in all circumstances. Make us confident and bold in all situations so that we may bring glory and honor to your name. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.