Jesus is coming

Are you ready?

That we are in some sort of end times is, I think, generally accepted by most Christians. Whether it is the rapture, as some like myself believe, or whether it is the Final Judgement – does it really matter? Jesus is coming – are you ready?

Am I ready for what? Perfectly valid question. Let me turn it around for you. If you were to drop dead right now, what would you be able to say to Jesus when, or if, you meet Him? Are you certain you will meet Him rather than ending up somewhere else? What makes you so certain? “Not all who call me Lord, Lord, will enter. To some I will say, ‘Away from me you evil-doers. I did not know you.’ “

How sure, how certain are you of your salvation? How sure are you of your right to enter eternity in the presence of our Lord? Come on now – this is not rocket science – where is your ticket? OK, OK – like me, you are Blood bought and paid for. A sinner saved by Grace and by the Blood of the Lamb shed for us at Calvary.

But the question remains, are you ready?

What did you do with the people who surrounded you all your life? Your family, your workmates, your friends, your neighbours, local shopkeepers and workers – what did you do with them all? Do they even know you are a Christian?

What did you do with the gifts God gave to you? Did you even know that God gave you His gifts? Do you know what they are? Did you explore the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Did you seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

What did you do whenever God spoke, or tried to speak, to you? Did you know that He will speak to you whenever you ask Him to do so? Did you listen to Him or were you too busy telling Him what you wanted from Him? Was, or is, your prayer life a one way system of letting God know what you want, what you think, and telling Him what you would do if you were in His shoes?

How did you react when God called you closer and deeper into Himself? Did you recoil in horror? Did you say ‘No’ without even talking to Him? Did you ask Him about the price to be paid for going deeper? Did you even ‘put your toe in the water’ before you rejected Him? Did you grieve the Holy Spirit by ignoring Him completely?

Are you as holy as you should be – as holy as God wants you to be? Well, of course you’re not. Not one of us is as holy as we should be nor as holy as God wants us. Do you trust Him enough to say to Him, ‘I am willing Lord. Make me holier than I am now. Begin your work in me today, Lord.’

Why didn’t you even try when God asked those little things of you? Did you simply ignore Him? Did you just leave it for someone else to do? Did even bother to listen to His still small voice as He called to you – time and time again?

When Jesus comes, He will ask you these same questions. There will be great sorrow etched in His face as He asks you because He already knows the answers and He knows how you will answer too.

Scary isn’t it?

Time, perhaps, to accept that invitation to go deeper in Him. Time, perhaps, to ask the Lord to start His work in you. Time to prepare for His coming. Preparing yourself, and those around you.

It’s never too late to start preparing a way for the Lord in your life.