by David Brenneman
It's an infamous saying of yesteryear "I shall return" credited to General Douglas MacArthur.
Jesus, who's most arguably greater, said "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Luke 12:35-40.
Would you describe yourself as being truly ready in the next 10 minutes to stand before Jesus face-to-face?
Is your life one that can be described as being in readiness for that monumentous event?
Or are you actually more worried, concerned, about what your eyes see than those things that the Spirit needs you to see happening all around you?
The Spirit is not just working in the lives of Believers everywhere.
The Spirit is not just working in the lives of those who haven't believed yet.
The Spirit is preparing this world for Jesus to return. Satan's both trying to hinder Him as well as trying to preempt Him. Trying to upset the apple cart so to speak. Trying to manipulate God's timetable.
God's timetable. You, my Friend, DO realize that there's absolutely no evidence to prove that things are happening through time by chance? That there's nothing to things "just happening" and we deal with it as it comes?
"Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?" Luke 12:41-57.
There's a very great danger in not being ready. So many people want to jump right to Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.", hence the necessity to be ready!
Ever watch one of those thousands of movies or television shows, streaming shows, where a person or group is facing some imminent grave danger and must decide in a very short period of time what is important? They all the sudden leave a vast majority of their worldly possessions, their schedules, their lives, in order to survive...and usually find that they didn't need them after all.
So many people today think they don't have the time for a deeper relationship with Jesus. How quickly that can change when God changes their priorities at His behest, at His discretion and His desire to fulfill His plan.
Many people go into a hospital, see a doctor, and either stay or leave with a life altering diagnosis.
What are you doing to be ready for Jesus? Will shame and fear grip you when He shouts from Heaven "Come up here! Enter into My rest!"? Or will excitement and awe be your emotions at the time?
You ready it right here yourself. You believe what Jesus said don't you?
What does it mean to you going forward?
Are you going to stay doing what you are, or are you going to start considering being the Christian that you were called to be?
Maybe it's time to start deciding what's really going to stay or go in your life.
Maybe it it time to clear your schedule and actually read your whole Bible for once.
Will you be caught off guard?
Will you be ready?
The freedom that those who have already died in Christ, who have absolutely no care about the things they left behind, can begin to be yours today. Don't put things above your walk with Jesus. Don't put events above your relationship with Jesus. Do not give your passion, your hearts desires, to people, places or things, that belong to Jesus.
Are you ready or are you not?
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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