What are you preparing for?
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the next four weeks, you will hear comments, sighs and likely even some fretting about all the things people need to get done before Christmas.
Yes, we have the blessings of family and friends. But as Christians begin the season of preparation for Christmas known as Advent, we need to ask ourselves and focus on what are we really preparing for.
Our Bible verse for this week reminds us whether it is 23 days before Christmas, the 23rd of July or our 23rd birthday, there is something we need to be prepared for at all times – Jesus’ second coming at the end of the world.
Jesus’ words set that urgency before us “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape.” Jesus doesn’t say “Watch and be ready for his return at the end of time when you know you’re going to die or when things seem like the end of the world could be coming. He tells us “Be always on the watch.” There is a specific reason for that reminder of constant watchfulness – elsewhere in the Bible Jesus tells us that his second coming will be swift and unexpected like a thief or birth pains on a pregnant woman.
Jesus’ words also give us a clear description of how we can escape “pray” and “stand before the Son of Man.”
Those two are actually connected and related. Both involve a fervent trust in Jesus as our Savior. That alone is our key to being ready for Jesus’ return – knowing and believing in Jesus as our Savior. With that faith we can pray to God to keep us close to him, be constantly watchful with the confidence that heaven is ours through our Savior. We can be ready to face our Savior on the Last Day and know that we don’t have to be afraid because he did everything to help us face his Father in the Judgment because of what he did in life and in death.
There is one more thing we need to say about this subject. Being constantly watchful means that we don’t put everything else in life on hold and live as a hermit or isolate ourselves from everyone else. Part of this constant watchfulness includes doing all that we can do make sure that as many people as possible around us are also prepared.
Are you doing this with your family and friends? I know some like to say religion is one of those things which you don’t talk about with other people. If we truly love them and care for them, why wouldn’t we make sure that they know that the answer to the question “If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to ask you ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’” is “Because Jesus is my Savior and he did it all!”?
Think of how this all ties directly into the ministry of TLHA. Statistics tell us one third of older adults do not know Jesus as their Savior. What a wonderful opportunity for each of us to be involved in the “care of the soul” by making sure our coworkers, those whom we serve, their families and “others whose lives we touch” confidently know that Jesus is their Savior too!