And behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in His arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word, For my eyes have seen Your salvation(Luke 2:25-30).
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing(II Timothy 4:8).
At first glance, we could ask, “What does Simeon have to do with the Christmas story?” Yet, when we really consider this man- he knew what the birth of Jesus was all about. Simeon loved the Savior’s appearing.
Age was most likely creeping up on Simeon. We can imagine his hair was probably gray, his steps feeble and his shoulders stooped. However, the hope he kept in his heart was as strong as ever. He waited for the coming of the promised Messiah. He looked for the coming of the promised Messiah. When the Messiah finally came, he loved His appearing. Notice, he had prepared for this event all the days of his life:
He kept his faith in the promise of the Savior.
He lived a righteous life.
He lived close to God- the Holy Spirit was upon him.
This is our situation. Jesus has come the first time to die on the cross and rise again. He is now at the right hand of the Father. As Simeon expected Him the first time, we expect Him to come back again.
Jesus promised us that He would return. Our hearts should be stirred when we read the following verses:
Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also(John 14:1-3).
If we really believe His promise, we should be careful to live righteous lives. This is expected of us by our Lord. Scripture is clear regarding this:
But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”(II Corinthians 6:17)
As we wait, we must resolve to live as close to God as possible. If we do our part, He will certainly do His part. Again, Scripture is clear regarding this issue:
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…(James 4:8).
Given all the chaos that is occurring in our world, we should be convinced that Jesus is coming back soon. We must be concerned with believing His promise, living righteous lives and staying close to God. When He comes for us, we will not be sorry that we have done these things. We will be glad we lived our lives as people who “love His appearing.”
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
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