Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he had done.
Revelation 22:12
While traveling to one of my speaking engagements, I met an extremely delightful, engaging, and well-educated woman. Our conversation was lively and made the two and one half hour flight "fly" by. We enjoyed mutual exchanges in our conversation and anecdotes. One particular piece of biographical data she conveyed was about one of the things she would be doing upon arrival to the city we were flying into. Fifteen years prior she had met and befriended a woman via the internet. For 15 years these two women have written back and forth using technology, but have never once met in person or conversed on the phone. Today both women would meet face-to-face. In addition to being held captive by her story, I was extremely excited that after 15 years these two women would get to meet.
Our relationship with Christ is similar. We read His Word and express ourselves via prayer, but we never get a face-to-face or verbal conversation with Him. And just like my new friend, we believe in the relationship in spite of the tangible evidence of His existence. We believe, because by faith we place our hope in "Him who is unseen (Hebrews 11:27). We believe because we "consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). We believe because "no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9 NIV).
I believe in Christ "sight-unseen" because, like my flight partner, I too will one day behold His glory. One day my faith will become my sight and I will receive the reward due to me. My faith will be my reward. What about you? Where is your hope? Where do you place your faith? Ready or not, Christ will return and He will "render to every man according to what he [has] done."
Our relationship with Christ is similar. We read His Word and express ourselves via prayer, but we never get a face-to-face or verbal conversation with Him. And just like my new friend, we believe in the relationship in spite of the tangible evidence of His existence. We believe, because by faith we place our hope in "Him who is unseen (Hebrews 11:27). We believe because we "consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). We believe because "no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9 NIV).
I believe in Christ "sight-unseen" because, like my flight partner, I too will one day behold His glory. One day my faith will become my sight and I will receive the reward due to me. My faith will be my reward. What about you? Where is your hope? Where do you place your faith? Ready or not, Christ will return and He will "render to every man according to what he [has] done."
Father, today I reminded that my faith will one day become my sight. Help me to endure for "Him who is unseen." Help me to hold on in the midst of trials and tribulations. "Hope does not disappoint" (Romans 5:5), and my hope is in you.
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