Luke 12:39-40
The scripture for today is Luke 12:39-40
Luke 12:39-40 And this know, that if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have allowed his house to be broken through. Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.
Jesus likens His return from Heaven to a thief that comes unexpectedly in the night. Peter tells us: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10 The thief does not announce beforehand when he will break into a house; he does it without notice. Christ, in like manner, will come at a time when the world is not expecting Him. Those who are wise make provision to receive Him BEFORE He comes. It will be too late to prepare when He arrives. Preparing for the coming of Christ is the most important work that we can do. It is an investment in our eternal future. Being prepared to meet Christ at His return is really a function of meeting Him here and now. Those whose lives are surrendered to Christ will be prepared to meet Him at His second coming. It is not enough to be partially ready; we must be completely ready. We cannot give Christ our hearts in partial surrender and expect that will be good enough. He is not willing to share the throne of our hearts; He desires to be the Lord of our lives completely. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. The surrendered heart listens for the voice of the Master. It hears His voice and follows Him. It will place no confidence in words that do not originate from the heart of God.
It is important for each of us to daily take inventory of our lives. Are we truly surrendered to Christ? Is He really the Lord of our lives? Do we defer to Him in our thoughts, words and deeds? Will we be able to say to Him face to face when He comes, Lord, I have done all that you have asked me to do? Will we be able to stand before Him with honest hearts knowing that, while we may have made mistakes, our hearts were continually turned heavenward and we learned from our failures, rose up from our stumbling, repented and embraced the Savior once again. Will we be assured that we are cleansed by His blood and that His Holy Spirit is living within us? Will we have hearts that are inscribed with the character of God? Will we have embraced His moral law or will we have tried to explain it away? Will Christ alone be our portion and will our lives be hidden in Him? Yes, dear friends, we must be prepared when the Son of man comes. He is coming for His own; He is coming because He loves us.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim