As we look at Mark 13:1-13, it would be better for us to ask ourselves some questions. Are we personally ready for Jesus’ Second Coming? Would it upset our plans if Jesus came back today? Would we want Him to wait a little longer? Even if we did know the hour and the day, would knowing that change the way we are living today?
The truth is really this simple: Jesus tells us that we are simply to be ready for it at all times. We are to each day live as End Time people. God knows us all too well. He knows that we like to be clock watchers, that we love to procrastinate, and that we will decide to only change at the very last moment.
God did not call us to be clock watchers and sign watchers. God called us to be Kingdom Builders! He wants us to be people who will live out each day the message of Love, the message of Grace, the message of Forgiveness, the message of Redemption and the message of Mercy.
So, what should we do as we wait for the Second Coming?
1. First of all we should live each day as our best day – as if it could be our very last day here on Planet Earth. We should challenge ourselves each morning as we get out of bed with this thought. If today were the last day in this mortal body how shall I live it to its fullest? How shall we live today as the best possible vessel of our spirit and the Holy Spirit?
2. Secondly, we should treat others as if today the LORD was coming again. We should allow our love, our joy, our forgiveness and our mercy rule our day. We should make sure that any minor disagreements, minor problems be taken care of in the name of Jesus. We should do all we can to be at peace with everyone. We should bury any hatchet, any grudge or anything that looks like unforgiveness.
3. Thirdly, treat all possessions as if they would become rubble and garbage tomorrow. Who wants to put their stock into things that will not be here 100 – 200 years from now? Why do we waste so much time building up things here on this earth when we know that we cannot take them to heaven? Let us remember the Parable of the Rich Fool who after building barns had to face his LORD empty of heart and soul. Rather, let us build up one another than bricks and mortar, wood and stone. Let us build up relationship that the Bible tells us can be everlasting.
4. Finally, let us work with the talents, resources and time we have already been given. While we wait for the Kingdom, let us do what we can to be Kingdom Builders here on earth. And that means reaching out to people. That means sharing the Good News. That means focusing on Jesus rather than on ourselves and our kingdoms. When Jesus comes again, He will come as King of Kings and Righteous Judge. He will judge us on how well we have done living out His life on His earth. How well we have been cultivating and working on our own personal relationship with Him, working on our interpersonal relationships with one another, and living a life that truly honors and glorifies Him. (ERNIE ARNOLD)