Waiting Anxiously

Jude says But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.  And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

Another definition of “anxious” is to want something very much.  An anxious mom stands by the window as she waits for a son to come home from war.  An anxious groom stands awaiting a glimpse of the bride he loves to walk down the aisle.  And an anxious child jumps up and down waiting for his mom to unwrap that candy so he can taste its sweetness.

When we stay rooted in the faith, when we communicate with God through his Holy Spirit, and we keep ourselves believing in his love for us, we will become anxious…

Not the type of anxious we talked about in the past few days of devos, where we are fearful.  But the type of anxious where we now are expectant and looking ahead to something wonderful.

Isn’t that funny that the same word can  mean such two different things, depending on the context in which it is set?

And while we’re anxiously looking forward to Jesus and our eternal life with him, we must do what?

Have mercy on those who are still doubting.

If you’re strong in your faith today, pray for those who are not.  And if you are not strong in you faith today, build yourself up in His word.