Be Ready

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You told us to be ready. Give us wisdom, understanding, and courage as we look to the future of possible events that could impact our daily lives. We don’t know when things will occur…just that we should be ready. Thank you that You have promised to always be with us. No fear when You are near. 

What day is this...what time is it?
No one knows the hour or the day.
Be ready!

However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24:36-44 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

Meditate. Are you ready for anything?

 

What is your greatest fear? Ready or not…here it comes!

Are you afraid that Mt. Rainier will blow up or the Cascadia Fault will shift causing a gigantic earthquake? How about a hurricane with an enormous force in the South wiping out electricity and flooding the countryside? Sometimes we just need to be ready for little things like power outages from high winds or summer lightning storms.

Another fear that seems to becoming more realistic is a war that could involve people around the world. Jesus told us that there will be wars and rumors of wars in the last days. Are we seeing that beginning with the conflicts in the Middle East, particularly involving Israel right now? So many countries currently have atomic, neutron and hydrogen bombs with long-range destructive capabilities and they may be tempted to use them to gain more power. War is inevitable. Will it be in our lifetime? Are you ready?

Jesus Himself told His disciples in this passage from the book of Matthew that the Son of Man would come when least expected. Jesus is the Son of Man. He was talking about own His return. If you are expecting Him to return, when would that be? Christmas, Easter, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Trumpets, Passover, the Fourth of July? When? You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Will it be in our lifetime? Be ready.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5

 

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Are you prepared for a disaster? Be Prepared. Are you like a Boy Scout, always prepared and ready for anything?

Have you seen anyone building some kind of ark like Noah…or preparing for End Times? There are lots of “preppers” out there stocking up food, weapons, and a place in which to bug out. With the threat of earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, hurricanes in the Southeast, as well as doomsday predictions of atomic wars, it is a good idea to have a couple of weeks’ worth of food and water on hand.

You can check out lists online that are prepared by the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or just helpful preppers. For convenience, there are also options of prepackaged containers that provide meals for two weeks for two people that have a shelf life of twenty-five years. That’s a long time to keep food around. My thought is to store what you eat and eat what you store. Rotate it so that it doesn’t get outdated. Water is most important thing to have on hand since we can go without food, but we cannot live without water—and it needs to be good drinking water to keep everyone healthy.

Check out FEMA’s list of things to have on hand in an emergency. It is a helpful place to start. Ready Emergency Supply List

Next Friday I’ll post a list of suggest food items. Just keep in mind that whatever you set aside, it needs to be food that you and your family will eat. Until then…keep watch. Be ready.

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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