As I mentioned in my last post, God has really been teaching me a lot of different lessons about Kingdom living recently, in a variety of ways. One common theme that has came up in sermons I've heard, songs I've listened to, as well as just what I've been learning in my own quiet time while studying Scripture is the idea of being prepared for the Second Coming of Christ. It's been everywhere, and I want to share what I've learned so far.
For my first question, where are the planners at?
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the known, the certain, the sure.
If I'm going somewhere, I need to know who's going to be there, how long are we staying, what are we doing when we get there, and any other potentially necessary details. I just need to be prepared. I need to know what to expect.
That sounds great, right? Except, if everything is already known and already certain and already sure, that wouldn't take a lot of faith, now would it?
The question that came to me today is: how can you be prepared for an unknown future? I guess ultimately, you can't. To be prepared, it directly implies that you at least have some idea of what's to come.
And as far as any of our futures go, we really have no idea what is going to happen. We can have it all planned out, but if there is anything that my less than one month engagement has taught me, it's that your plans usually don't hold up in the hands of an Almighty, all-knowing God. So, what can we do to prepare for our futures then?
Well, when we shift our mindsets to the eternal, we can then be prepared for what's to come because we know what's coming. Jesus is coming again.
Maranatha. Our Lord come!
The future isn't unwritten. He's coming. Period.
It could be today, tomorrow, next week. That's the future to prepare for.
You may be wondering, how can I prepare for this known, certain, sure future?
Well, for the unbeliever (the one who doesn't know Jesus), the way for you to prepare for Jesus' second coming is to repent. Matthew 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
What "repent" means is for you turn away from your sin and turn toward Jesus. How you can do that is to place your faith in Jesus by calling on His Name today and asking Him to forgive you of your sins. He died on the cross for your sin and rose again on the third day. Believe that today and ask Jesus to save you. I promise He will, and you can know for certain that you are ready for the Lord to come again.
For the believer (the one who does know Jesus), the way for you to right now prepare for Jesus' second coming is to live out the Great Commission daily. Live everyday like today could be the day. Tell others of what He has done for you and what He can do for them. Prepare for the Second Coming by helping others get prepared.
See, what I've learned is that the desire I have to be prepared for the future isn't a bad desire within itself. Just like all desires, it just needs to be submitted to the Will of the Father.
Kingdom Preparation. That's the preparation that the world needs.
In John 14:2, Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you." Jesus is preparing a place for us. While He's preparing that place for us, let's prepare the people of this world for Him.
So, when worry strikes and the need to over-prepare for the future takes over, may the need to prepare for the coming of the Lord ring louder. Because the fact is, there are an infinite amount of potential futures to prepare for, but only one future is guaranteed: His Kingdom come, His Will be done. May that be the future we prepare for.
If you made the decision today to give your life to Jesus, please email me at lesliejessie20@gmail.com and let me know! I would love to hear from you!
I chose this photo for this specific post because it's from the rehearsal dinner for my wedding. The rehearsal dinner is all about getting prepared for the actual wedding before it comes. May we treat out lives the same way, to get prepared for Jesus coming again.
Photo by Keerthana Duddu
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