Always Be Prepared

ALL – Psalm 78:56-64
ALL – Proverbs 12:24
OT – Deuteronomy 32:28-52
NT – Luke 12:35-59

Some events you can’t always be ready for. Break-ins. Natural disasters. Travel accidents. We can wear seat-belts, build with storms and earthquakes in mind, and install alarm systems and video cameras, and perhaps even keep a gun near the bed. But when something happens, we can’t know we’ll be ready.

Jesus is coming back, and He wanted people to prepare for His return, saying:

Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return—just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. – Luke 12:39, The Living Bible

Here’s the problem: we can’t know when Jesus is coming back any more than we can know when a thief plans to break in or when an earthquake is going to strike or a car is going to come across the road into our lane.

But there’s one big difference between being ready for thieves, accidents and natural disasters and being ready for Jesus. Being ready for Jesus’ return involves our relationship with Him now.

We can’t have a relationship with any of the other things we fear. We can’t receive their instruction and guidance to being prepared. We can’t receive their reassurance that we’ll be ready when the time comes. But with Jesus, we can listen to Him day by day as we read His Word, we can talk to Him day by day and see how He responds, we can be guided by His Spirit in our hearts. Every moment of every day is about our relationship with Him—whether we’ll follow or go our own ways, whether we’re honoring Him or ignoring Him. And as we walk in relationship with Jesus Christ, we can be ready. Because when He comes, readiness means knowing and being faithful to Him.

Jesus said:

There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a waiter’s uniform and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come at nine o’clock at night—or even at midnight. But whenever he comes there will be joy for his servants who are ready! – Luke 12:37-38, The Living Bible

This is an event we can be ready for, an event we know is coming, an event to look forward to, an event that we can prepare for just by trusting and obeying Jesus in the regular rhythms of our lives. Are you ready? If not, why?

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