Discipleship Devotional, May 9th, 2025
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
— 1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJV)
Like we learned in yesterday’s devotional, Maranatha literally means “come, Lord” or “the Lord is coming.” It was both a prayer for Christ to come quickly and an encouragement to one another that Christ is coming. And Anathema speaks of being cursed for judgment. Hence, Paul was speaking that those who don’t believe in Christ will be judged at His second coming. Before we move on, it is important to note something: the gospel is about what Christ did in His first coming, not the second. Why is this important to note? Because people begin to mix things up anytime the second coming is emphasized.
For instance, there was a time in the 20th century when Christians placed so much emphasis on the second coming that they became earthly useless for God with regards to preaching the gospel. All they did was sit down waiting for the trumpet to sound. That’s an error. However, we have reached another extreme today, where people are so mindful of earthly things that they aren’t willing to let go of this world.
The balance is to understand that you prepare for the second coming by preaching the first coming to as many as haven’t heard it. After he finished speaking about the second coming in 1st Thessalonians 4, Paul said this:
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (KJV)
The message of the second coming is a message that should bring comfort, not fright. The preaching of the fact that Christ is coming again should bring joy to the believer. It should bring comfort. It is a final escape from sickness, sin, sorrow, etc., and an avenue to spend eternity with Christ. In fact, if you know how glorious an eternity with God is, you will long for it more. Jesus always charged that we watch (look forward) for His coming. Paul also said there’s a crown waiting for those who long for His second coming (2nd Timothy 4:8).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to be relevant for You in this earth by preaching the gospel, while I long for Your second appearing.
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