We Must Always Be Ready!

In order to grow closer to Christ, it is so important we spend time getting to know Him better. An important place to start is in our daily readings, so be sure to READ or LISTEN today and every day!

Today we read such a simple, yet powerful parable. Today Jesus is laying things out very clear for us when He is telling us about the day of the Lord's return. We don't know when that day will be, not even Jesus knows, only God does so we must ALWAYS be prepared and ready.

If we knew the day He was returning, we would make sure we had our "act together.". We would be doing the things we are called to do, wouldn't we? It's like those bad movies and tv shows (or maybe even you in real life) where the parents go out of town and the kids are expecting them to come back on a certain day so they throw a huge party that gets out of control. The problem always occurs when the parents plans change and mom and dad come home early. Sometimes they call ahead and we watch the crazy scramble to try getting people out of the house and it cleaned up. Other times, they walk right in the front door in the middle of all the mess!

It is easy to look good when we know when we need to be all and cleaned up! It is easy to look like good, responsible teenagers when we know the exact moment our parents are going to return (if they actually return then). Our challenge is to always be at our best. We don't know when Jesus is coming back, so we need to act as though it is at any moment. We need to be loving our neighbor, always showing mercy and kindness! We must repent and confess our sins regularly!

I know there have been times when I have been drunk and acting like a jerk and then the thought crossed my mind that this is NOT how I want to meet Jesus. What if he came back at that exact moment?

I think about all those kids that believe in Santa Clause and how they may misbehave and be little punks all year, but as December 25th nears, they start to act like little angels. They are nicer to their siblings, they listen to their parents, they behave the way they should be all year long, because they know exactly when Santa is coming and what he expects out of them!

I have read and heard this parable more time than I can count. I have intellectually understood it, and there have been times it has touched my heart stronger than others. Today, however, at this moment in my life it is doing something a little more special. It is coming at a time that I have already started making some decisions, and it is as though God is speaking to me directly and reinforcing those decisions.

What is God trying to tell you through His Word today? Is there an area of your life you need to be focusing on a little more and cleaning it up?

We don't know the day or hour of our Lord's return. We don't even know if we will be here when it happens, but I want to be ready! I want to be living the life God intended for me to live every moment I can. Sure we will slip up on occasion, we are human, but I am going to do my best to be a good and faithful servant.