August 19 - Ready for Jesus

Mark 13:32-35,37

"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (Mark 13:32-35, 37 ESV)

Have you ever fell asleep at work? Maybe that's not even a possibility in your line of work. Maybe it is. Regardless of your particular employment situation, most jobs require some amount of attentiveness to maintain an expected level of proficiency. In a similar way Christ prompts us to maintain a level of attentiveness so that we may be prepared for what is to come. Many authors have sought to exhaust the topic of end times events with their well written and heartfelt works. Many of them may even be working from a God-gifted revelation into the truth of events to come.

I believe that Jesus desires for His church to be ready for any eventuality. Not because He wants us to ride out the End of Days in a comfortable fallout shelter, but because He desires for us to fix our hearts in a mutual direction, namely, in His direction. He wants us to want Him more than we want to leave this place or our circumstance.

What if the Church, as one voice, declared a readiness to embrace the return of the Master? Not as escapism. Not out of negligent disdain for the here and now. What if we were authentically ready, and willing, to see Jesus face to face?

August 17 - Stay Awake

Matthew 24: 36-51

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42 ESV)

We don't know the exact year, day, or hour that Jesus will return. I do believe that authentic believers will have an innate sense about his approach, but the details are beyond us. It is something we do not know, and cannot know until the moment in which we experience it.

Jesus compared it to being watchful over a house in danger of robbery. If you knew your house was going to be robbed you would take all kinds of extra precautions. And if you knew the exact moment in the night when the robber was going to approach you would be ready.

Christ will return, and when he does he wants to embrace a ready church. He is looking for a people that are awake, alert, and watching. So, stay awake.

August 16 - When You See

Matthew 24: 29-35

So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Matthew 24:33 ESV)

I love to travel. We used to drove across the country every summer to visit my brother in North Carolina. They were usually really fun trips to make, but I always like coming home. I love driving in on the interstate and keeping track of the signs that tell me how close I am to home.

During Jesus' teaching on the Last Days he told his followers that they would be able to determine the Last Days by looking at the signs. Will our generation be the ones to experience the Second Coming of Christ? What do the signs show us?

Some people get a little weird when it comes to this stuff. They start to make crazy predictions. I don't think that's what Jesus was shooting for. Jesus wasn't trying to teach his people how to calculate the moment of his return. He was stressing to them the importance of their continued watch. He wanted his followers to remain a perpetually ready people.

When I am driving home from a long trip I take note of the signs that point me to home. The reason why is because I am looking for them. I am seeking reassurance and direction. I believe that Christ demonstrates that for his people. When his return is imminent all of his followers will know it. They will be looking for him.