Get Ready

We closed out the year with a message on readiness. The time is near. Get ready.

We started by looking at the signs. Moral decay. Lawlessness increasing. Knowledge exploding. The gospel reaching every nation. Scoffers mocking the promise of his return. Jesus said we know how to read the weather, so why do we not know how to read the times? Look at the fig tree. The season is clear.

Then three things to carry forward.

First, be watchful. Awake and on the lookout. Jesus says it over and over: stay awake. In the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, in the morning. We are children of light. The day of the Lord should not surprise us like a thief.

Second, be prepared. Ready and waiting. The Parable of the Ten Virgins says it plainly: those who were ready went in. The door shut on the rest. Study, pray, put away sin, build each other up. Dress for action. Keep your lamps burning.

Third, stand firm. Patiently endure. Be faithful to the end. Put on the whole armor of God. The battle is spiritual, not earthly. Hold the line. Keep the faith. No matter the cost.

Something to sit with this week:

If Jesus returned this week, what would you wish you had done differently to be ready?