Face to Face
Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 13: 8-13
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12
I was at a very exciting mission conference in Hong Kong. More than 5,000 believers from China were attending, and among them were many who had listened to our programs. Many said they had been looking forward to meeting us face to face.
Long ago, if we had pen pals or relatives across the globe whom we hadn’t met, we wondered what they would look like face to face. Of course, with the help of webcams and digital cameras today we are drawn much closer to one another; still, there is no substitution for meeting face to face.
The same is true in our relationship with God. We are all created in the image of God, and as St. Augustine said in his Confessions, “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.” But are we really prepared to meet God face to face? Is God happy to see us? Would he say to us, “Come … take your inheritance,” or “Depart from me, you who are cursed …” (Matthew 25:34, 41)?
Paul, who wrote today’s passage to the Corinthian church, had met the Lord at least twice (Acts 9; 2 Corinthians 12). His advice to us is the same that he gave to the jailer in Philippi: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts16:31). Shouldn’t we make sure about that before this day is done?
Father, help us to look forward to and be prepared for the day when we can meet you face to face. In the name of Jesus, who made all this possible, we pray. Amen.
About the author — Jimmy Tai-On Lin
Rev. Jimmy Lin is the Chinese ministry leader of The Back to God Hour. With his staff in Palos Heights and Hong Kong, Rev. Lin has ministered to over 1.3 billion Chinese-speaking people around the world for 16 years through radio, literature, CD/DVD, Internet, and text message. His wife, Doris, is one of the translators of Today into the Chinese language, which now has a circulation of more than 45,000 copies.
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