Dirty Windows
Dec.23,2013
http://getmorestrength.org
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only
to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8
A friend of mine, Bud Wood, founded Shepherds Home in
Wisconsin for boys and girls with developmental disabilities. The
original ministry opened its doors in 1964 to 36 children, providing
them a loving residential environment and a school that would focus on
their unique needs, helping them to reach their potential. Most
importantly, this ministry started with a primary goal of sharing God’s
love with the residents and encouraging them toward a personal and
growing walk with Jesus. Many of those original residents, now adults,
still reside at Shepherds. The home, now known as Shepherds Ministries,
has grown to include vocational training and a variety of other
ministries all clustered around that central passion for delivering and
living out the gospel.
I remember Bud asking me one time, “Hey, Joe, do you know what our biggest maintenance problem at Shepherds is?”
“I have no idea,” I replied.
“Dirty windows. Our kids press their hands and faces against the
windows because they’re looking to the sky to see if today might be the
day that Jesus will return for them and take them to His home where they
will be healed and complete.”
I love that! Talk about having your priorities in the right place.
One of the hallmarks of a committed follower of Jesus is a longing for
His return.
That’s what Paul anticipates as he writes to Timothy in the waning
days of his earthly ministry. He acknowledges that he is “being poured
out like a drink offering” and humbly states, “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
But rather than spending his last days looking in the rearview mirror,
Paul continues to look forward to the “crown of righteousness, which the
Lord . . . will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Notice that the crown isn’t some merit award for Paul’s years of
distinguished service. It isn’t the “Church Planter of the Year” trophy.
And it isn’t exclusive to Paul. He makes that plainly clear when he
adds, “and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his
appearing.” The “crown of righteousness” is available to all followers
of Christ who live righteously because they have organized their lives
around longing for Him to return—with the expectation that it could be
any minute now!
That longing and expectation will change our priorities as well. It
will make us think a whole lot less about how to build our kingdom and a
whole lot more about His. It will pull our attention away from
materialism and the accumulation of earthbound possessions and point us
toward investment in that which is eternally significant. It will lift
us from our anxieties and even the weight of this life’s difficulties,
reminding us each day that something better awaits us. And 1 John 3:2-3
reminds us that our hope in the Lord’s return will motivate us toward
purity, so that we want to be righteously pure and ready when Jesus
comes for us.
You may have decorated your windows for Christmas, but have you gone
to them recently to see if the Jesus of Christmas is coming back again
for you? Go ahead, smudge up a window or two! Life will be wonderfully
different if you keep your eyes to the sky!
YOUR JOURNEY…
- How often do you spend time thinking about the return of Jesus?
- How would it change your plans for the next 24 hours if you genuinely believed that Jesus could arrive at any moment? How about the next week? What about the next year?
- What steps can you take to regularly remind yourself that Jesus could be returning at any moment? What would it look like to “smudge up some windows” as you watch for Christ’s return in your home?
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