1 Thessalonians 1:10
...and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Are we truly waiting? Are we anxious for his return? A child on Christmas Eve can hardly sleep because of the building anticipation. A person waiting for a letter from a loved one checks the mailbox every day -- even looks for the postman -- because they are eager to receive that message.

Far more valuable than a toy or note, the adoptive children of God are waiting for the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. We know that Christ will return because He has promised to do so in John 14, and because God is always faithful to His Word.

When Jesus' work on the cross was completed, and His sacrifice found acceptable to God, He was then raised from the dead to show that He had won victory over death and the grave. Jesus – who is both fully God and fully man – lived a sinless life and died in our place. As a human, He represented us in righteousness just as Adam represents us in sin. As God, He was able to take the full punishment of sin for the entire world on Himself, bearing it on our behalf.

How often we think of God’s wrath as a negative thing when it is actually quite good and praiseworthy. We serve a God who does not allow wrongdoing to remain unpunished forever. Injustice does not escape His eye. The defenseless have an Advocate and the wronged have a Righteous Judge. What would it say of God's character if He simply turned a blind eye to abuse and hatred? If He ignored the plight of the helpless and hopeless, where would we be?

And while it may occasionally seem that God has forgotten the righteous and prospered the wicked, do not forget that God's wrath is tempered by His mercy. The punishment for sin is not always felt right away -- another thing we are to praise Him for. Because our punishment doesn't have to be enacted at the moment of the offense, we have the opportunity to take Jesus up on His offer to bear that punishment for us, in our place. He delivers us from God's wrath -- not by getting rid of the wrath, but by taking it on himself.

Is it any wonder that those who trust in Christ anxiously await His return? He alone is worthy of honor and praise for He alone has done what no one else could ever do. May our lives always reflect this eager longing to others, pointing them to the saving grace of God given in His Son, Jesus Christ.