This was the title of an article I read recently that addressed the tension of the Christian in living for today yet also looking ahead for tomorrow. It brought to mind the importance of our perspective, our strategy for thinking. What sorts of thoughts should consume our daily lives. Are we to be so consumed with the here-and-now that we lose sight of the hereafter? It seems that most of our Christian teaching today has its focus on the specific instructions we are to carry out while we await the Lord's Return. To be sure these instructions are important and should consume much ouf our thinking, but the Bible actually calls us to a balanced perspective of expectation (that Jesus could come at any moment) and participation (serving Him faithfully until He comes). I was reminded of this when I read:

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (NAU 1 John 3:2,3)

Fixing our hope and expectation on the coming of the Lord is an important element to our perspective for living rightly in the world. It is one way that we can purify, or set ourselves apart from sin. I need to work at thinking on the Lord's return throughout the day so as to have a balanced perspective.