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how to wait for Jesus
1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 (JDV)
1 Thessalonians 1:8 You see, the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,
1 Thessalonians 1:9 because they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his Son from the sky, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who is rescuing us from the coming wrath.
how to wait for Jesus
The Thessalonian Christians were a model for all of us. They showed us how to live our lives as we wait for the next big thing to happen: Jesus’ returning from the sky to rescue his people from the coming wrath. Here’s how they did it:
- They rang out the word of God by sharing their faith.
- They received ministry from Paul and his team with gratitude.
- They repented of their idolatrous lives.
- They committed themselves to serve the living and true God instead.
- They put their faith in their coming Savior, and the rescue he will bring.
That is how you wait for Jesus.
Lord, we commit ourselves to wait for you, and your coming rescue.
Devotions 
Good morning, Jeff. I have a question concerning the expression “returning from the sky.” I’m going to preface my question by suggesting that the phrase is “anthropocentric” and “apparent” – like the expression “the sun is rising (or setting).” As in, *we* will see Jesus as coming down from the sky, just as His disciples saw Him rising up into the sky (Acts 1:9-11). But, recognizing this “anthropocentric”/”apparent” expression for what it is – we know that the sun doesn’t actually “rise” or “set” – our view of those events is *really* an effect of the earth’s rotation on its axis. So, here’s my question, phrased two ways: Where is Jesus *really* coming from? Where is He *really* located NOW?
John, I feel like the little boy in Sunday School who said “I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure seems like a squirrel to me.” Given the biblical use of the term often translated “heaven” I am not very comfortable using that English word. Do we know that the meaning of the word changed half-way into Acts 1:11? No, we do not know that. It is an assumption — an assumption based more on theology than exegesis. I choose to stay with the generic meaning, and let the theologians speculate.