Pastor Stephen Gibson
December 2022
This year is swiftly passing into the history books. What of eternal value have you seen God accomplish? Have you grown in your relationship with your family? Have you grown closer to the Lord? Have you reached out to someone with the good news of salvation? Have you gained a fresh eagerness to welcome the return of Jesus in power and great glory?
Before His crucifixion, Jesus admonished His disciples to watch and pray (Mark 13:33) because they would not know the time of the coming of the Son of Man. If the disciples needed to watch and pray in their day, certainly we need to be even more diligent to watch.
Of course Jesus comes day by day to offer the items we need to be prepared for His coming in glory. He offers gold, white raiment, and eye salve (Revelation 3:18). He offers finely-polished faith, His righteousness to cover us, and the gift of sight to discern God’s reality. As we open the door to Jesus day by day to accept His offer of fellowship (3:20), we are being prepared to welcome Jesus on the day He comes on the clouds of heaven. If we have a daily plan to meet with Jesus, it only makes sense that we will be waiting and ready when He comes literally to gather His friends for the party.
For the residents of Butte County in CA, the Camp Fire in 2018 was an unexpected event. They are accustomed to occasional forest fires, yet they were not necessarily waking up to find that the calendar indicated a horrific fire for November 8th. It wasn’t even listed in the Farmer’s Almanac. Some residents of the county were prepared to leave their property rapidly. They did not waste time trying to pack up their stuff. Others were not sure what to do in the crisis. They were unprepared to leave their homes.
Is it any wonder then that Jesus appeals in Matthew 24:44: Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (NKJV). Be ready, Jesus says. Live ready. Since we do not know the day when Jesus will come, the most sensible plan is to live ready. And the great news about leaving our stuff is that Jesus has much better stuff for us at His house.
What plans are you making to live ready for Jesus to come day by day to your door in 2023? Do you set aside time daily for fellowship with Him? Does His coming merit an appointment on your daily planner?
What plans are you making to live ready for Jesus to come in the clouds of glory should He choose to come this next year? We don’t know about tomorrow in a world where sickness (including viruses) and accidents come to many of us. However, we do know that committing our lives to Jesus day by day is always a safe plan.
Will you watch and pray today?