TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:3 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Yesterday morning, I was preparing for my friend Lisa to come over. We planned this day over a month ago—a day of Christmas baking. As I was mentally going over ingredients, I realized that butter is a really important one. So I ran to the store to get some. But as I pushed my buggy through the store, I saw something completely shocking. I stopped and stared for a minute before I pulled out my phone to post it on Facebook. There, in the middle of the grocery store, was a Valentine’s display.
Y’all, we’re still three days from Christmas. We still have New Years to get through. Who on earth is buying boxes of heart-shaped chocolate right now?!?!
I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Christmas stuff goes up at Hobby Lobby in July. And if you’re a crafty person who likes to make Christmas decor and gifts, I get it. Sort of. But honestly, I would love to get ahold of these retailers’ transaction logs and determine what percentage of their holiday sales are really happening this far in advance.
I’m not alone in my surprise at retailers’ head start on the holidays. Of the responses to that picture—half of my friends responded with the laughing emoji and the other half with the wow emoji. Four posted the crying and five liked it (but I want to believe the like button was pushed sarcastically). The 27 comments were comments of denial, outrage, and shock. No one I know is ready for Valentine’s Day and several I know couldn’t care less about it no matter when marketing begins.
But it did get me to thinking. Retailers start thinking about the holidays way before we do. They are planning and preparing for what’s coming.
Are we?
We have Someone a lot more important than Cupid who is coming. Are we planning for and getting ready for Jesus?
As we prepare to celebrate the first arrival of Jesus, we need to have the unparalleled and unbridled enthusiasm of a retailer as we await His second coming!
Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3 ESV). And He also said, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44 ESV).
Are you ready?
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for coming to earth as a baby and thank Him that He’s coming again! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be prepared. Ask Him to help you grow in your faith and share it with others so that they can get ready too!
