Ready to Rejoice!

Listen to this blog.

“God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.

You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while.

Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.”

1 Peter 1:4-7

If you are still alive on the day that Jesus returns, what will you be doing? Of course, you can't answer that question because you don't know when He will come, and no one does. But it will be just as in the days of Sodom when men and women were going about their normal business and then "The End Came!" There was no warning for anyone except Lot and his family. Lot was warned to take his family and leave Sodom so that they would escape the destruction that was soon to come.

Here is a challenge. Live one day as if Jesus were coming before the day ends. Let everything you set your hand to or your mind be an activity or thought of which you would not be ashamed if Jesus returned at that moment! There are many thoughts and attitudes that you would reject because of how embarrassed you would be if Jesus returned while you were mired in such thinking. You would avoid every thought except those that were pure and holy. Your every action would be helpful to others, not hurtful.

Now for the greater challenge, but the one that Jesus wants each of His followers to accept. Live everyday for the rest of your life as if Jesus were returning before that day ends. Don't go back and take another bite of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Make no plans for and avoid every opportunity for sin in your life. Determine in your heart that Jesus will be Lord of every minute of every day that you have left in your life.

Then when Jesus returns you will have no shame and you will be ready to rejoice!