Are you ready? | Frank Becker

Week Forty-Seven, 2018

ARE YOU READY?

By Senator John Grant, FL (Ret.)

You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24:44

As a Boy Scout, I learned and lived by the motto: Be Prepared. It was a good lesson for a young boy. Don’t get caught short and don’t fail to be prepared to meet deadlines.

Recently my bride and I were preparing for a short trip. As always, she printed out the packing list. Mine was simple… toothbrush, comb and razor. Hers was a bit more inclusive. It included, but was not limited to toner (whatever that is), moisturizer, eye cream, cleaner, exfoliator, lip balm, make up, mascara, eyebrow brush, eyeliner, concealer, lip liner and the list goes on.

Women are just plain complicated, but what is not complicated is God’s plan of salvation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.

We know not the time or the hour, but we must be prepared and ready at all times. We spend a significant amount of time every day getting ready for what lies ahead, but how much time do we spend getting ready to meet the Lord?

Jesus is coming! How do you react to that statement of truth? Some people wring their hands in fear. Or roll their eyes in skepticism. Or yawn with disinterest. Or jump up and down with excitement. How should we react to that statement? While no one knows the day or the hour of His return, Jesus Himself instructed His disciples repeatedly to be ready (Luke 12:35, 38, 40, 47). And the Bible tells us exactly how.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).

Are you prepared spiritually? He may come tonight and you could be left behind if you are not prepared.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Every minute on the internet, 2.78 million YouTube videos are downloaded; 2.4 million Google searches are initiated; 347,222 new tweets are sent; 527,760 photos are shared on Snapchat, 150 million emails are sent; and Amazon registers $203,596 in sales.

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Drug overdoses killed 72,000 Americans last year, more than died in Vietnam (58,220) or from guns (38,658 in 2016) or car crashes (40,100 in 2017). And the crisis is far worse in Florida than the nation, as fatal overdoses spiked 47 percent from 2015 to 2016, more than double the national rate.

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Among all of God’s creatures, only humans can anticipate the future.

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REMEMBER THAT JOY is not dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world’s most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them. True Joy is a by-product of living in Jesus’ presence. Therefore, you can experience it in palaces, or in prisons or anywhere else.

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Do you enjoy brand new things? When you are given something new, how do you feel? What goes through your mind? How does it help or encourage you? Take a moment and reflect on the four things God will do for you in a new way as you seek Him.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Are you going to church or you being the church?

What your life says speaks is louder than what your mouth speaks

Idolatry is glorifying anyone or anything more than we glorify God. It is valuing anyone or anything more than we value our Lord. And it’s finding our primary source of hope in anything other than our heavenly Father. Jim Denison

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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

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