It is estimated that people live an average of 26,000 days. You may think you have plenty of days left, but if you are over 27, you have already passed 10,000 days. In reality, you're not getting any of those days back; that makes time our most precious resource and leads us to the following Wonderfully Weird Command: "Await My Return." A teaching of Christ that, if applied, will establish punctuality (on-time living) versus tardiness (sluggish living).

Many Christians have a question: "Will Jesus Christ return during the time I'm alive?" Matthew 24:44 says, "So you also must be ready because the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come at an hour when you do not expect him (NIV)." Please understand that this command does not instruct us to know when Christ will return; instead, it tells us to be ready for His return and to expect Him at any moment. Are you ready?

The secret is investing your time wisely. The reality that Christ could return any moment should motivate us to support every moment to make it the best. For the Christian, upfront, it's investing your time to inform the mind with the teachings of Christ. From there, Christians should apply the commands to their character to develop Christ-like habits, producing the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control [Gal 5:22-23]). When this happens, Christ's second coming occurs in "who you are" as they await His total return collectively with God's family. Will Christ return during your lifetime? Well, that depends on you and your willingness to invest in developing Christ's character in you. Growing Christ in you is the second coming of Christ personally; the first is when you receive him as your Lord and Savior. How much you invest will determine your Return on Investment (ROI) and the coming of Christ first-hand.  

How's your investment going? Are you investing time depositing the Wonderfully Weird Commands of Christ in your soul? If you expect Christ to return, there's no getting around it; just like money, time must be invested, and the commands of Christ are deposited in "who you are" if you expect a return on your investment. Most understand how ROI works with money, but it works the same way with time, spiritually speaking. When ROI deals with time and growing your faith through learning and understanding Christ's commands and applying them to life, then the return will be realized through life. 

I encourage all Christians to assess their faith assets (The qualities of Christ and Spiritual Fruit being yielded) often to understand if they are investing their 26,000 days wisely to see a significant ROI promptly. If so, you can continue to invest your time and money wisely. However, if not, and tardiness is the reality of your faith investments, then make proper adjustments, and, as Jesus says, "Await My Return" to be fulfilled and enjoy life's happiness to its fullest dividends.

With much appreciation,

~ Pastor Drake