Monday, April 14, 2008

Are You Ready?

Are you Ready?
What a storm we had Thursday morning. The wind, rain and then the lights went out. I had just gotten out of bed to turn on the television to see what was going on and boom, the lights went out. The phone started ringing and it was Cassandra and she and Scott live in Hurst and she wanted to know if we had electricity. Then she said the sirens were going off. I was trying to find a light of some sort and get my clothes on. I used my cell phone light. I told her I had to go because our sirens were going off. Then the hunt began for flashlights and candles. Kiersten and Caitlin were up and Kiersten was pulling up the weather on her cell phone. Having been in a tornado many years ago I got a little stressed out. I was trying to find lights! Gary found a flashlight and Kiersten found a candle. I found the rechargeable candles that I have and put all of them in a grocery sack in case we had to go to the closet. After all of the excitement was over, I told Gary I had grabbed my contacts, my jewelry and my Mother’s ring and oh yeah my family and he laughed. I don’t know why I grabbed my contacts, if we had gotten blown away there wouldn’t have been anything I wanted to see. I also said we were totally unprepared. We weren’t ready for a storm.
If you were here last Sunday evening for Paige Patterson’s message on the end times then you heard him tell the Parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25. It made me stop and think about what it has to say and about being ready for when the bridegroom comes. I thought we were prepared for when a storm came and the lights went out. But things have changed in our life and we moved since all the storms last year and so I just haven’t given it much thought even though I know it’s the season. We finally found everything we needed but we had to scurry around to do it. We didn’t have a bag prepared with a flashlight, a radio with batteries, and all the things you need for an emergency. We didn’t have the things ready that would be what we needed when the time came. But what if it had been too late? What if there had really been a tornado and we were hurrying around trying to find everything we needed and boom we were blown away because we weren’t prepared.
It made me wonder about being ready for Jesus when He comes. Do we think we are ready but we really aren’t prepared? Do we think we have our emergency bag prepared but in reality we haven’t even given it a thought even though we know it’s “the season”. Jesus can return at any minute. Are we prepared? Those of us who have made the decision to accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord are ready. What about those that don’t know Him and have never heard about Him? They won’t be prepared. There won’t be an emergency bag for them. They haven’t even given it a thought. They will be scurrying around trying to find out what they need to do to know Jesus and go to heaven and it will be too late. It’s up to us to tell them, to share the wonderful news of what Jesus Christ did for them. He’s counting on us to tell them what a difference He can make in their lives where they will be prepared for when He comes. Who do you know that needs an emergency bag and needs to have the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25-13. It’s up to us to help everyone be prepared. Are you ready?
Have a great day in the Lord.

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