“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Titus 2:13 is significant for many reasons. Often the focus is on the references to either the “glorious appearing” (the Rapture) or the deity of Jesus as “the great God,” but I’d suggest that the “looking for” has a substantial effect on the believer’s life between now and the “glorious appearing.” Taken as a whole, verses 12-14 suggest that looking for the coming of the Lord is what we are to do instead of, and as a means to avoid, the “ungodliness and worldly lusts” of verse 12 and will instead result in “people, zealous of good works” (v. 14).

The idea is that we should have an active gaze toward this event. We should be ever watching with eyes fixed. Not to discern the times or assign dates for our Lord’s return but to be a point of focus until that day. Years ago, I worked on the grounds crew at a country club. One day I was told I would cut the greens, to which I was instantly nervous. Knowing that straight lines were expected and not how they were produced, I went to someone experienced who told me the trick. I couldn’t believe how simple the answer was. He said when you line up your mower, and before you begin, look over to the other side, find your point of focus and keep your eyes fixed upon it, and go. Don’t look to the left or right, don’t look down, keep looking to the end.

This sounds an awful lot like the believer’s instructions to be looking for Christ’s return. It also reminds me of Paul’s bold statement, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Paul said, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound” (v. 12). How? We often look for the supernatural when the answer is much simpler, just like cutting the greens on a golf course. Just a few verses prior, Paul said:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true…honest…just… pure…lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue…any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9).

I can’t think of anything that fits that description better than to keep looking for that “blessed hope.”

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

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