It is so strange sometimes when and how God drops something onto my heart. I’ve recently added an extra hill to my daily walk. Walking up that hill one day I began to wonder why I was doing it. I’m not preparing for a race or an event. I don’t have a goal or an end game that is contingent on hills. It just adds both distance and difficulty. I’m preparing myself to keep going really. To keep my legs strong and my heart healthy. I do like to be prepared but for what?
And just like that I couldn’t stop thinking about what we’re preparing for. Are we preparing for marathons, retirement, a vacation, a career, a job loss, a baby, a move, a snowstorm, next week? Do we have emergency kits full of transistor radios, batteries, and nonperishable food? Wait a minute. Do we have enough toilet paper? If 2020 taught us anything it was that many people highly value having a large stockpile of toilet paper.
I’m making light of the toilet paper because it highlights the point that when push comes to shove, you can see what people place value on. Or perhaps, you can see how quickly we panic. This all made me think about the end of the world. I keep hearing people say the end is near.
I don’t remember a time in my life when people weren’t convinced that Jesus would be returning any day. Wars, natural disasters, plagues and pestilence, questionable leaders, divisions, hatred, these are not new to the world – we are new to the world. Certainly, many people believe we’re in the last days. Perhaps we are. I 100 percent don’t know. I will not be debating that issue or trying to convince you to believe one way or the other.
It’s the preparation that I can’t stop thinking about. Jesus himself talked about his eventual return in Matthew 24. Among other things, He told His disciples not to be troubled. He said that no one, not even Him, knows the day or the hour, but we are to be vigilant and watchful.
Friends, if you believe that the hour is near, what are you doing about it? Are you preparing as Jesus wants us to prepare or panicking, stockpiling or maybe even nothing at all? I am preparing for Heaven not for a doomsday. I’d like for as many of you as possible to meet me there. I’m not saying you shouldn’t save for a rainy day, have extra meat in the freezer or a plan for how to function in an emergency. I am saying that if you believe that Jesus is coming back, then prepare your heart and encourage others. And do it now.
Jesus, in John 9:4 (NKJV) said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Later in John 14:1 Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
There’s no need for panic. Urgency but not panic. This is the day for you to make sure your heart is right with the Lord. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God set eternity in our hearts. If we want an eternity in Heaven, we prepare our hearts now by accepting Jesus and then doing good and sharing Him with others. Peter (1 Peter 3:15) told the early Christians to always be ready to give a defense for our hope. That is preparation worth doing.
Being prepared for the return of Jesus isn’t about how much stuff we’ve accumulated and stockpiled. It isn’t about how many rolls of toilet paper we can store or how much gold we’ve invested in. It’s not about how much stuff we have or a physical battle we need to wage. It’s about really knowing Him. It’s about loving our neighbors enough to share Him. It’s about keeping our hearts ready.
We are reminded in 2 Peter 3:10-13 that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. If we are living the kind of Godly lives that we should then we can look forward to this day. It’s not about doom and what earthly things may be lost when we are preparing to spend eternity with Jesus. On the other hand, if you don’t know Jesus, you’ll know doom.
Friend, I have no idea about the end of all time, but I do know that the end of our time is near. If we’re more concerned about prepping for a snowstorm than eternity, then we have work to do. If we value toilet paper above souls, then our preparation is misguided. Prepare your heart. If you don’t know Jesus, get to know Him. You’re going to love Him. If you already know Him, live like it.
Note: If you don’t know Jesus, have questions, and are interested in learning more, please reach out to me privately. I’ll help you.
