Are You Ready?

Today’s Reading: Matthew 24:36-51

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father."  Matthew 24:36

Are you ready? Isn’t that what Jesus is saying throughout these verses? He wants us to know the signs of the end of the age, he wants us to hold on to and trust in Him, but he also wants us to be prepared---be ready when he returns for his children.

After Jesus finished telling us about the signs of the end of the age he then went on to tell us that no one, absolutely no one will know when he will return for us. Why did he do it this way? Just like I said before he wants His children to be prepared, and we can only be prepared if we read and study his word. We have to know this word, and as we read, we automatically grow closer to Him. We feel him more, we trust him more, and we seek him more. Now let me back up just a minute and explain something. You can not just read the words on the page as you read through this book, you have to seek him before you read, while you read, and after you read. You cannot read the Bible and truly get it, truly let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts unless you open up your mind, heart, and soul to the truth that lies within the pages of this book. You have to accept the Bible as more than just a compilation of historical stories, you have to accept it as the ultimate truth, the Holy Word of God.

So I ask you again, are you ready? We have already learned from this chapter that it will not always be easy to hold on to our faith, but we have to be knowledgeable about what the Bible says, about how Jesus is preparing us to go back home with him. While no one will know the day nor the hour, we do know, without a doubt, that he is coming and we have to be ready. So we should ask ourselves daily am I ready? I do not doubt that when we really get honest with ourselves, when no one else is around and we ask ourselves ‘am I ready?’---we know the answer before we even finish the question. We cannot depend on anyone else on this earth to save us, we are accountable for ourselves, and we have to be ready ourselves---no one can or is going to do it for us. We have to humble ourselves before Christ. To me there is no better way to live than to be ready for Jesus’ arrival---I want to be ready, I want to cheer when I see him coming, I want my hands to be raised and an enormous smile upon my face. The word tells us that every knee shall bow, but when I bow I don’t want it to be in fear because I know I haven’t been living for him, I want it to be in praise and honor to my Savior who is coming to take me, a commoner, home to live with the King!