Be Prepared!

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44)

I was ready to cook the steaks on the grill. Had just enough time until the family came for dinner but as I went outside, I realized I had not started the grill. It would take awhile to be hot enough to cook. I hadn’t prepared. A little inconvenience but not too much of a problem.

I headed for the garden to get some lettuce but there wasn’t any there! Oh, I forgot to plant the seeds. I had not prepared. A big inconvenience and a real problem that day.

Being prepared is something we all need to be aware of concerning many things in life that are important. Be prepared for a test in school, a job interview, a task you need to finish, a bill you have to pay or an event for family. There are many other things we can think of that need preparation. We know the outcome we desire, and we do the things that will help us be successful.

Recently, my mother passed away and there were many things I needed to do to prepare for her funeral. Most of the things, I had already made arrangements for and so I was prepared ahead of time. It’s much better to be prepared rather than having to make important decisions quickly especially when you’re emotionally stressed. All this made me think of the most important thing we can ever prepare for…Heaven. When cooking steaks, you can wait for the grill to get hot. When needing lettuce for a meal, you can make a quick trip to the store. But being prepared for Heaven is not something you’ll have a chance to do at the last minute. When Jesus comes back, there will be NO time to prepare if you haven’t already done so. No waiting for a few minutes, no time to make a trip somewhere; you’re either ready or you’re not. You must prepare ahead of time or you’re doomed.

I may be, “preaching to the choir” as they say, but we all probably know someone who is not prepared. We all have the mission to tell people about Jesus and show them the Christian life. So, if we ourselves are prepared to, “be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), then we should be helping others to prepare for joining us as we rise up to the clouds to be with Jesus. Be prepared!