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Being Ready

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“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”—Luke 12:40
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.”—Mark 13:32-33(ESV)

Luke 12:40 and Mark 13:32-33 are Jesus’ words to His disciples. Since we are His disciples, these are also His words to us. There will be a second coming of Christ. This is not some abstract idea. God’s Word tells us this will happen. His Word is true. Only God our Father knows exactly when that day will occur. Until that time, we are to live a life loving God and loving others.

Wickedness can’t stop God’s kingdom. Praise God, His church will outlast everything. The hope of the Gospel is what comforts me during the remainder of my days left here on earth. Jesus is coming back for His followers. Will I live to see the second coming? I don’t know, but what I do know, is one day, I will die and get to see my Heavenly Father.

Because yesterday was 16 years since my earthly father’s death, I am also reminded of a sweet story that ties into getting to see Jesus. Even though we knew one day his heart would give out, we still weren’t ready for his death at the age of 69. The day he died, after he finished his daily 30-minute walk on his treadmill, he sat down in a chair, closed his eyes, and went to be with the Lord.

When my mom saw him and called his name, he didn’t answer. He was known to be a prankster, so she thought he was joking with her. She soon realized he was not conscious and called 911. I had built a home directly behind my parents house with a gate to their yard. I ran over to help my mom. With 911 on the phone, I was performing CPR on him until the paramedics arrived.

After they left with him in the ambulance, my mother shared that she thought my dad knew he was dying because she said a tear was dripping down his face. In tears, I shared that with one of my prayer warrior friends. Her response was, maybe that tear was because he saw the face of Jesus. What a gift that she listened to the Holy Spirit and spoke those words to me.

We live our life serving God in anticipation of seeing Jesus face-to-face. I share my dad’s story because it gives me comfort to know we will cry tears of joy when we see the face of Jesus. How could we not? While each of our relationship with Jesus is personal, we aren’t supposed to keep it private. Do you have any stories you can share with unbelievers that show God’s grace, love and mercy in your life?

Pain and suffering happen whether we know Jesus or not. The difference is in how we handle it. We either do it alone or with God by our side. Do we envision dying and spending eternity with Jesus or being buried in the ground with no hope of meeting our heavenly Father. I don’t know about you, but I would rather live with an expectant hope. Because of Jesus, we need not fear death. We are promised an everlasting life in heaven. Amen!

If I am alive to see the day of His return, I don’t want to be asleep at the wheel. We stay ready by living a life that will bring Him glory. We have a kingdom assignment to tell other about the Gospel. We use the gifts He has blessed us with to love, serve and share Jesus with those around us. With social media and the internet, God can use us to point others to Jesus in bigger ways than we could ever imagine. How are you preparing for His return? Are you doing your part to help bring Jesus to every corner of our world, especially your sphere of influence?

Father God,

Forgive me when I let worldly activities replace serving You. I ask for opportunities to share my faith with those who live a life of unexpectant hope. Open the door for me to share the Gospel with them. I thank You that when this life here on earth passes away, that isn’t the end. Spending eternity with You is a gift available to every person who accepts Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives as their Personal Savior. Use me to share this truth to my corner of the world. It is the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

November Verse

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”—Colossians 4:2

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