“Are You Ready?”
Therefore, be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:7-8
When I was in high school in the 1970’s, our youth group had many discussions about the return of Jesus. Back then, we actually expected Jesus to return at any moment. We even sang songs such as, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” by Larry Norman during our youth group meetings. The lyrics are:
Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we'd all been ready
Children died, the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come, and you've been left behind
A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head
He's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready
There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come, and you've been left behind
This song is based on what Jesus said about His return:
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:39-44
After Jesus ascended into haven 40 days after His Resurrection, His followers expected that He would return any minute. Certainly, in their lifetimes. But in the years that followed, the followers of Jesus started to give up on the idea that He was coming back. James and other writers of the New Testament had to encourage them to be patient and remember that the coming of the Lord is near. So, it’s no wonder that 2000 years later we don’t seem too concerned about the Lord’s return.
But this doesn’t mean that Jesus won’t return any moment. Our expectations have nothing to do with His return. The Lord is coming back whether we expect Him or not. Whether we are ready or not. However, it’s best to be ready.
Being ready involves living in a right relationship with Jesus. Repenting of sins and asking to be forgiven is a great way to get ready. Doing the Lord’s work is also an important step in getting ready. Living like Jesus is a big part of getting ready.
Jesus is coming back. When we lest expect Him. Are you ready?
In Christ,
Pastor David
