"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Matthew 24:42-44
Are you ready?
Would our nation's military be ready for an attack if they only worked weekdays? If on weekends, all military personnel were sent home to spend time with their families, weekends would make us nervous. We would not feel secure if our armed forces were only sometimes ready for an attack by a foreign power. We want them to always be ready.
Are you always ready? Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Jesus promised to return on the Last Day.
When? When will Jesus return? When will our last day be? Jesus didn't say, so we don't know. Jesus simply said: "Be ready." Each and every day—be ready. Are you always ready for that day?
If our readiness depends on us, we should be very nervous. You and I get distracted by so many things in life—good and bad things. We get consumed by work, by family, by sports, by politics. We cave in to temptation. We are selfish instead of loving. We let fear and anger and worry grip and control our hearts. Does it sound like we're always ready for Jesus' return?
God makes us ready for Jesus' return. He doesn't start by reforming our actions. God starts by cleansing our hearts and minds. In his undeserved and unconditional love, God sent Jesus to live, die, rise and rule for you. God forgives you and through faith in Jesus makes you his child. He gives you peace now and heaven as your eternal home.
God cleanses your heart and prepares you for Jesus' return. But God doesn't keep that good work neatly and secretively tucked away in your heart. The apostle Paul, a follower of Jesus and a missionary, wrote: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). A grace-filled, Jesus-focused heart is very active.
You don't know the day Jesus will return. But you are ready for Jesus' return. You are ready, not because of your goodness, but because of God's grace. You are ready not because of all you've done, but because of all Jesus did for you.
Prayer:
Jesus, keep my eyes and my heart focused on you and ready for your return. In your grace, forgive my sins. In your grace, move my heart and my hands to serve you today and until I see you face-to-face. Amen.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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