TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• A couple of days ago, I was on a Zoom meeting for work when a colleague/friend took the most cringe-worthy picture of me mid-meeting and texted it to me. We were trying to figure something out on the NC Unemployment website and I was concentrating. I was wearing a look that could only be described as… well… the look one would wear when they are trying to navigate the NC Unemployment website. My initial reaction was to beat her the next time I can get within six feet of her. But I decided to run with it, laugh it off, post it on Facebook, and let everyone else have a good laugh too. But no, I’m not sharing it here.
My embarrassing picture serves as a warning. Not only about being cognizant of how you look on a Zoom video lest someone catch you in a hideously unflattering moment, but let’s take it to real-life…. when you’re making decisions about what to do or what to say, do you ever wonder how you’d feel if Jesus returned and caught you in that moment?
Let me be clear: Once saved, always saved. When Jesus returns to rapture His church, if you’re a born-again Christian, you’re going with Him no matter what you’re doing at that moment. I don’t know about you though, but I sure want Him to find me doing something that honors and glorifies Him.
That mindset is one I adopted after I read Francis Chan’s book, “Crazy Love.” In it, he talks about taking his grandmother-in-law to a play and how uncomfortable she was in the situation. During intermission, he asked her if she was enjoying herself and she said, “I just don’t know if this is where I want to be when Christ returns. I’d rather be helping someone or on my knees praying. I don’t want Him to return and find me sitting in a theatre.”
That is such a jaw-dropping statement. Being in a theatre isn’t a sin, but certainly, I’ve been in plenty where the content wasn’t holy or wholesome. I’ve watched stuff I wouldn’t want my grandmother to know about, much less Jesus!
The example Francis Chan used made me more aware and I frequently ponder a similar question—“Is this what I want Christ to find me doing?” It’s made me re-think a lot of things, including books, movies, and TV shows I used to read/watch. I don’t want to be “caught” doing something I’d be ashamed of…
In Matthew 24:42, Jesus said, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” We need to be prepared. Spiritually prepared is, of course, the priority. But we need to be prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally too. Pastor Greg Laurie described it in one of his sermons like having your bags packed for a trip. When Jesus comes, we need to be prepared to leave!
So… are you prepared? Have you repented and given your life to Christ? Are you mindfully and purposefully letting the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts and decisions so that you’re ready at a moment’s notice? And are you making choices that are Christ-pleasing?
My prayer is that the answers are “yes!” If they aren’t, please consider getting ready. My website has a section called “Saving Grace” that outlines how to become a Christian. But I also recommend ministries such as BillyGraham.org, InTouch.org, or Harvest.org. Get ready. Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for His promise to return for all believers. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be prepared at all times, and ever-watchful for Jesus. Ask Him to stir a great revival in our world so that others are ready when Jesus returns!
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! Join an online prayer group at www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandonourkneesprayergroup. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
