READINESS FOR THE LORD’S COMING

SCRIPTURE READING
PSALM 50:22-23
HEBREWS 11:8-16
LUKE 12:35-40

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Readiness for the Lord’s coming” Readiness is the state of being fully prepared for something. Readiness for the Lord’s coming is the state of being fully prepared for the final appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will come and redeem those who have been saved. We shall reflect on how to be in readiness for the Lord’s coming:

1. To be in readiness for the Lord’s coming, we must live a life of gratitude and be blameless.
2. To be in readiness for the Lord’s coming, we must live a life of faith.

Firstly, to be ready for the Lord’s coming, we must live a life of gratitude and be blameless. We must express our thanksgiving to Him in all our endeavours and live a life worthy of our calling as children of God. It is for this reason that the Psalmist wrote, “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you: 23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation. ” (Psalms 50:22-23) We must develop the habit of expressing gratitude to God in our words and actions and be determined to obey His Word so that we will live a blameless life before Him. In Luke 12:13-21, the rich fool forgot God and failed to express His gratitude to Him for a bountiful harvest, and the Lord found him blameworthy and took his life. As believers, we must demonstrate our readiness for the Lord’s coming by always living a life of gratitude through a life of worship. Paul admonished us when he wrote, “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. “(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Again, we must be blameless before Him by obeying His Word and submitting to His Will. Paul’s prayer applies to us when he wrote, May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). The Psalmist also assured us that “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart (Psalms 119:1-2). Being blameless by walking according to the Law of the Lord and keeping His statutes and seeking him with all our hearts is what Jesus describes as readiness or being prepared for His second coming. Jesus admonished us, It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:38-40) Dear friend, how ready are you for the Lord’s coming? Are you living a life of gratitude? Are you blameless before God by studying and abiding by His Word? Let us remember, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Secondly, apart from living a life of gratitude and blamelessness, we are required to live a life of faith to demonstrate our readiness for the Lord’s coming. Our forebears in the Old Covenant have given us good examples of living by faith. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-16) In other words, our faith must transcend the desires or needs of this earth and look to the eternal life or salvation that will be given to us when Jesus returns the second time. Our faith is further emboldened and rekindled when Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

In summary, we have discovered that to be in readiness for the Lord’s coming, we must live a life of gratitude and be blameless. Again, 2. To be in readiness for the Lord’s coming, we must live a life of faith. May the Holy Spirit continue to equip us to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Amen.