Are We Prepared for the Day?

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 6:43 pm Post subject: Are We Prepared for the Day?

Are We Prepared for the Day?

Scripture:

The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw, concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge the Gentiles, and rebuke many people: and they shall turn their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they be exercised any more to war. O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
(Isaiah 2:1-5)

And that, knowing the season, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed and the day is at hand. Let us, therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ: and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences.
(Romans 13:11-14)

And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark: and they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left. Watch therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come. But this know, that, if the good man of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.
(Matthew 24:37-44)

Reflection:

The history of humankind serves up example after example of conflict, corruption, and violence. Most will answer they desire times of peace, yet, peoples and nations continually rise against one another with angry hearts, corrupt intentions, and deadly hands. The faithful pray for peace, but hearts of evil sow all forms of conflict. The people find no place to hide from the corruption, oppression, and violence. Though many make plans for their future, no one can be certain of what the next moment shall bring or when the moment will come when they are taken from the world. (cf. Matthew 24:36)

Some are tempted to wonder, despite our prayers, peace continually seems to elude us. The faithful are tempted to ask, why will God not answer us? Perhaps His answer is before us, but too many of us fail to listen. Through His Word, He has given us all the wisdom we need by which to bring peace to our day, but if we are unwilling, as individuals, families, communities, and nations to live according to His commandments of love (cf. Matthew 22:36-40), then, we shall simply reap what we sow.

Not every heart is filled with evil and corruption, but so many leave themselves vulnerable to the wages of the behaviors of sin as they neglect to observe the ways of the Word which encourages them to virtues. Though we know that with each passing second we are one moment closer to the day when we shall be called to account for all which we have done and which we have failed to do, we too often remain complacent or distracted and fail to prepare our souls.

We are told by the Holy Word of our Lord that if we believe in our Savior, the only begotten Son of God, we shall be forgiven of our sins so we may enter His kingdom where we shall never perish, but shall have everlasting life (cf. John 3:16) in the place where love is shared by all. From this, we may take great consolation, for despite our failings and our mistakes, Jesus continually holds out His hand to us so we might follow Him. The question before us, though, is how will we profess our belief?

Some will say, what I profess is what I believe. Indeed, this may be true for some, but for others, what they profess is not born out by what they do. The politician professes one thing to the people to gain their election to office, but the person who is aware will listen less to what the politician speaks and will focus more upon what the politician does, for they know actions reveal beliefs more than words. So we might expect, when we tell Jesus that we believe in Him, we might expect a question in return, where our Lord asks, ?And how might I know??

As we allow our lives to be filled with sin, we can expect that moment to be one of grave discomfort. Indeed, we might be tempted to despair with so many stains upon our soul. Hope, however, remains because of the sacrifice made for us in atonement for our sins. (cf. Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45) It is through this sacrifice by which we may be forgiven, but what do we say to our Savior when we neglect our relationship with Him and ignore the wisdom of His Word? What do we say to Him if we have no remorse for the moments of our failure? (cf. Matthew 24:45-51, Revelation 3:1-6)

Let us, then, prepare ourselves through self reflection. Let us recognize the ways we have failed Him. Let us come to Him in prayer and reconciliation; asking for His forgiveness as well as for His help to turn away from that which separates us from Him. Let us endeavor to live according to His commandments and the wisdom of His Word, for if we truly believe in Him, we shall repent and turn to live as our Lord asks of us, with love for Him and one another. (cf. Matthew 22:36-40) Let us prepare for the moment by sharing the blessings of love. Let us not delay so that we may be prepared for the hour of which we do not know and so we shall not be found distracted or asleep. (cf. Matthew 25:1-13)

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways do we encourage peace within our day?

In what ways do we put on the armor of Light?

In what ways do we prepare ourselves for the moment our Lord and Savior shall come for those who believe in Him?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier