Being Prepared for Jesus to Come
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:42-44, NIV)
As I write this, I am officially 36 weeks along in my pregnancy with our first child. Each day is a mixture of wild anticipation and timid caution. Are we ready for her? What else needs to be done? Are we going to be good parents? How else can we possibly prepare for the labor, birth, postpartum period, and the transition into parenthood? Every way you slice it, it all feels like new territory. I’ve babysat before; I’ve watched my mom and dad raise my brother from a young age. But none have been fully mine– none of them have been a child grown in areas only I have ever occupied or borne of my body.
And so, this baby more than any baby I’ve ever known before is being meticulously planned for. She has a nursery full of diapers, clothing, blankets, toys, books, and every conceivable item to help her grow big and strong and loved. She has a home that is becoming baby proofed and safe for her to explore. She has a mommy and daddy that are teaching her furry puppy-brother to not jump on other people and treat other gently in the best ways we can.
There have been months that have gone into planning for her arrival. There were even more months of planning her conception. And yet, still there are things that we could never plan for in a million years.
Now just take a moment to imagine: What if we didn’t plan a single thing?
What if we didn’t have a crib or a diaper or a wet wipe? What if we never took the time to select a midwife or make a birth plan? What if we let nine months come and go and didn’t take the time to be ready for our daughter when she is finally born? Because the fact is, she is certainly coming. We don’t know if she’ll come on her due date, before, or after. Truly, at any point in the next 4-6 weeks, she could come, but it’s not like we have a date or a time scheduled that we can guarantee she will come to have our ducks in a row by an appointed time.
Do you see where I might be going with this?
Because it’s the same with Jesus. We don’t know– we could never know– when, where, or how Jesus is going to come back again. He hasn’t given us an appointed time to have our hearts ready for His return. He hasn’t instructed us when to stop sowing wild oats and align our hearts to His holiness so we can make sure we’re standing in the straight and narrow when He comes to gather up His church again.
Even more so, we aren’t born with an expiration date. On an individual basis, our time could be done in this life at any given time.
Are we ready? Are we prepared for Jesus to come back for us daily, whether it’s to collect the whole Church at large, or just you at the end of your life? Are your sins covered by the blood? Do you believe that Christ is the Lord and that He is the only Son of God? Do you live in a way that glorifies Him? Do you make time for Him and prioritize your relationship with Him?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Because the fact is, when He comes, there won’t be any time to circle back and get ready. Just like when my daughter signals that it’s time for her to arrive, without warning or appointment, Jesus will come back. And just like in the physical, we would put all this time, effort, planning, and action into getting ready for a baby born of your own flesh, we should be putting the same effort into making sure we are prepared for the King of kings to bring us home.
Jesus has already prepared a place for every single soul saved under His blood in Heaven, but there is a growth within us that has to happen here on this side of eternity. The only thing guaranteed to us is that He WILL come back. The only question will be whether we have lived in a way that honors the Lord so that our hearts are ready to make that jump from here to eternity with Jesus.
And that doesn’t mean that we are accountable to work to create a place for ourselves. Like I said a few moments ago, Jesus has already prepared the place. The work on the cross is already finished. His blood was already spilled and washes away the sin of those that are made new by grace. But we have to make sure that we are living for God’s glory now in a way that reveres Him here before we get to Heaven.
The fact is, if we’ve already received salvation, there should be something deep within us that understands the need to live ready. There should be a transformation in our very souls that desires to live more and more like Jesus. That way, when Christ does come back, whether for the rest of the Church on earth, or just you in a private and intimate way, you know that there is nothing keeping you from occupying that place that Christ has prepared for you.
Just like there is a special place prepared for my daughter that is ready for her to occupy, there is a specific and meticulously set place for you in eternity through God’s unending grace. Be ready to dwell in it, even now, every day.
