Are You Ready?

With a huge nor’easter moving up the coast, people from Virginia through New York are flooding the stores, starting up their snow blowers, taking out the ice melt, and taking stock of their in-home inventory. Our nice, easy-going winter is over.  With the storm approaching, everyone wants to be ready for the worst. 

We’ve been doing our share of preparations in our home as well.  After all, like you, we don’t want to find the snow blower isn’t starting or the shovels are missing or we’re out of gas, just when we need them to be on hand.  We don’t want to find ourselves short of food, without a flashlight that works, or without a movie on hand!  And so, we prepare.  We all want to be ready.

When I was a teenager there was a popular Christian song entitled, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”  The song, written in the past tense, described the coming of Jesus at the end of time, in what we call “the rapture.”  It spoke about the difficulties of the last days here on earth and of the day Jesus came. Some people were taken to be with him; others were left behind.  Some were ready for his coming; others were not.  The song ends with these words: “There’s no time to change your mind; The Son has come and you’ve been left behind…I wish we’d all been ready!”

Jesus said, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Matthew 24:42-44 – NLT) His call was to prepare ourselves for his coming; to make sure we are all ready!

I ask you a very simple question today: Are you ready? Ready not just for another snowstorm, but ready for the return of Jesus!  Are you ready for the day when he will come and take his people home to be with himself forever?   I hope we’ll all be ready!

Have a great day…stay warm and safe!  And, to those of you reading this from warmer climates, enjoy and be grateful!

God bless.

Pastor Tim Harris