MARCH 9

“Our Blessed Hope”

Bible Reading: Titus 2:11-14

January 5th, 1982.  It was a day I had been looking forward to for months, even years.  I had enlisted in the Navy six years earlier, and though I’d been a good submariner, even earning several commendations, all I could think about was being done.  Prowling around under water in a long steel tube with a hundred other smelly men has its shortcomings.  I was counting the days until my freedom.  At night I’d sometimes dream about that day and alternately I’d have nightmares about being stuck in.  I was waiting expectantly for the day I’d be set free. 

Our text speaks to how we as believers are waiting, but for something infinitely better, our blessed hope.  The term translated “blessed” means “spiritually prosperous.” Our passage speaks to two appearings of Christ (Titus 2:11,13).  By both we are “graced,” but in the second we will be so in transcendent fashion.  Note that this blessed hope which we are waiting for is not an event, but a Person–”the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:1).

What are we looking for?  First, Jesus Christ is going to receive us to Himself.  In that, the longing of your heart, for which your heart is even now groaning (2 Corinthians 5:4-7), will be fully and finally satisfied.  Second, Jesus Christ is going to transform you to be like Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).  That great work of grace, which God has patiently been working out in you, will reach its glorious conclusion.  You will be like Him, and perfectly fitted forevermore to dwell in His presence.  Thirdly, Jesus Christ is going to have you forever to Himself, to worship Him and enjoy Him in His glorious presence.  We will marvel at Him!  And Jesus’ long ago prayer to the Father will be fulfilled (John 17:24)!

This waiting for Christ is an attitude of heart.  Much as I was eagerly looking to the last day of my Navy enlistment, we as believers are to be expectantly looking forward to our blessed hope.  It is the one hope that is to rise above all others, preeminently so, in our minds and hearts.  But contrary to repeated admonitions in Scripture, I’m not sure we are always living with this kind of longing for His return.  It’s far too easy to set our minds on earthly things and we will inevitably gravitate to that, if the Spirit is not at work in us.  We are earthbound by nature.  Much like an un-inflated hot air balloon.  It’s only when you fill the balloon with hot air that it defies gravity and ascends above. The Holy Spirit has a ministry of focusing our eyes on Jesus, and thus lifting our hearts and thoughts to a higher plane.  To the extent that He fills us, and the Word richly dwells within us, we will live our earth-bound days with a heaven-bound mindset.  Helpful too, is the encouragement we can offer one another (Hebrews 10:25), as we collectively remind ourselves that our hope lies not in the here and now, but in the there and then!  

In his book “The Christian Life and How to Live It,” W H Griffith-Thomas commented on this, “Hope, in the New Testament, is always associated with the great future connected with the Lord’s Coming. Again and again, indeed no less than three hundred times, is the “blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,” brought before us as the expectation of the Christian, and the crown of all his aspirations and endeavors…We look forward with joy and satisfaction to the time when we shall see Him as He is, and be made like unto Him in His eternal and glorious kingdom… Joy looks upward, peace looks inward, hope looks forward. The Christian hope is fixed on the coming of the Lord!”

In Our Blessed Hope We Possess Something Well Worth Waiting For

Lord Jesus, How wonderful the day when the Spirit worked to open our eyes to the truth about You!  Since that day You’ve been working to prepare us for the day of Your return.  Though that’s something that should fill our hearts with eager anticipation, we don’t always think and live that way.  Forgive us for our earth-bound ways!  May the Spirit work within us to open the eyes of our hearts to the glory of all You’ve prepared for us!  May we be led to mutually encourage one another as fellow pilgrims on our journey home!  As we look to the blessed hope of Your coming, may others be drawn to look there too!  Amen!

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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