A teacher tells her young students, “Class, I’m going down the hall for a few minutes. I don’t expect to be away long. I’m sure there won’t be any trouble.I trust you to work on your assignments while I’m gone.” Fifteen minutes pass, then 20, then 40. Suddenly the teacher returns. Dennis has just thrown an eraser at Carol who is doing her math. Steven is standing on the teacher’s desk making faces. The students carrying out the teacher’s instructions are delighted at the teacher’s return, but Dennis and Steven wish she hadn’t come back at all.
Jesus Christ is coming back! That stands as both a warning and a promise throughout the New Testament. It’s good news or bad, depending on who hears it.
What destroys our readiness?
Partly, it has to do with sin. When we indulge ourselves certain sins, we immediately dull the edge of our lives and our awareness. Sometimes we can fool ourselves. We know something is wrong. We know something isn’t exactly pleasing to the Lord, but we indulge ourselves and do it anyway. He’ll forgive us, we tell ourselves. And He will. But this self-indulgence, this moral compromise, prevents us from walking closely with Him and being alert to His voice. We exchange the minor sin for intimacy with Jesus — and the trade is never worth it. It is a deception of the devil to neutralize our influence.
We must take time, spend time in prayer and communion with Jesus if we are to be spiritually alert, spiritually awake. When we’re too busy, too preoccupied for that, our guard is down. If this becomes a pattern — even though we may attend church — we can become spiritually sleepy.
In church we sing songs like “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” As we take the Lord’s Supper, the pastor says that we “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). On Sunday morning, the second coming of Christ sounds like great news. But during the rest of the week are we as ready for His return? Jesus is coming back! It may be soon. It will be sudden. Is that good news or bad? It’s up to you.
So what are we supposed to do now in the light of this? Jesus said, “You too be ready.” Be ready. How do you get ready? Abandon false religion, fear God, confess Christ, trust the Holy Spirit, be rich toward God, leave the world behind, seek His spiritual Kingdom, that’s how you get ready. He’s coming and His coming is certain and powerful and for the purpose of motivation…motivating every generation, its timing is uncertain. And so the message is, you better be ready…you better be ready.
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
(AJAI PRAKASH)