Why don't American Christians long for the Lord's coming as much as the Apostle did?
American believers enjoy such good lives and material comfort that they do not intensely yearn for Christ's return as the Apostle did. He suffered sickness near death and increasing persecution, so he longed to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.
Les explains that the Haitian Christians he spoke with had only one hope: the Lord would come, because they would never escape their poverty any other way. By contrast, we in America have it so good and enjoy life to such a full extent that we really don't hanker for the Lord's coming like the Apostle did. Les notes we should, because even as good as we have it, what is up there is far better. He points out the Apostle was suffering, had sickness nigh unto death, and persecution was increasing, so no wonder he said it is much better to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Ephesians 1:9 then speaks of laboring that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him—not salvation, but being pleasing to Him as a child of God. Les brings in a physical analogy: when parents have offspring who are obedient and conform to their wishes, that is a happy circumstance.