What pumps you up?  What gets you excited?  What do you look forward to?  I’ll never forget the painfully long wait between Christmas eve and Christmas morning when I was a child.   I didn’t think it was possible for time to tick by so slowly.  Even harder was the wait from my 15th birthday to my 16th birthday when I would be able to sit behind the wheel as a licensed driver and see the world… that had to be the longest year known to mankind.  In fact, if you search back in the astronomical records you may find that 1985 – 1986 actually had about 58 extra days… or so it seemed to me.

With the passage of time… the things we wait for, the things we get excited about seem to change.  For quite a few guys like you and me… that change of focus… makes us a little stir crazy.  We look back and remember those things or those times and we miss that anticipation or the excitement of waiting for things to come.

There are thousands if not millions of stories of men who have bailed out of life-long commitments or careers or relationships… because of the absence of anticipation.  The routine pace of life seems to suck the life out of “anticipation” and causes us to turn inward into ourselves.

I’m thinking that Christ Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said… be watchful!  Be alert!  Always be ready, for the kingdom of God is at hand!  Keep your eyes toward Heaven and do things pleasing in God’s sight.  Anticipate meeting God in your life… right now!

There’s something about the power of hope, the energy of looking forward, the sheer drive that comes from eagerly awaiting something that you’ve always wanted, desired, or dreamed about.  You know the feeling… right? Do you remember the happiness and electricity that surrounds those things?

These days, you may find the hope in waiting for Friday! or for the Grandchildren to come over!  Or for your kids to come home from college!  Or getting a date night with your wife after weeks and weeks of work and routine!  Or maybe… waiting on the pork chops to finish… cause they’re really tasty!

This is the hope… this is the feeling… this is the anticipation that Christ wants for us.

We have to strive to build a life on hope that is bigger than ourselves.  We must focus on being men of faith that look forward to fighting the good fight.  We are designed to eternally look up and anticipate the completion of all things.

I know it’s hard.  The routine monotony of life has a way of hypnotizing us into a walking slumber that can make us ineffective and useless.  This is not what we were built to be.  You may have let a few years go and some of those hopes and dreams you created for yourself may be long gone… but don’t give up!  It’s ok.

Immerse yourself into the hope that God will make himself known to you today… you will never be disappointed!

Pray that God shows you the need… pray that God gives you the courage to act… and hope for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ each day.  You WILL NOT be disappointed and you will find a renewed energy… desire… and that familiar electric feeling of anticipation that may have left you long… long… ago.

The Magi (wise men) set out on a journey when they saw the astronomical phenomenon that pointed toward Christ.  The Wise Men’s anticipation toward meeting Christ through their long expedition must have been electric!

As you prepare for the next step in your life, decide to live it with anticipation of meeting Christ through serving the hungry, thirsty, needy, and imprisoned people.  If you don’t have that anticipation, then what is fueling you?  Who is fueling you?

Let’s turn a new leaf… Live Bold!
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