Are You Prepared?

In this day and age, it seems we are encouraged to prepare for everything!

I know its just advertisers trying to get our hard earned cash, but we are challenged everywhere to prepare ourselves for calamities that are just around the corner.

We must have house insurance, contents insurance, car insurance, health insurance and even pet insurance.

We must prepare for retirement with Kiwisaver, invest in Bitcoin or the share market or Lotto. The world will never encourage you to prepare for eternity.

Yet, the word of God reminds us that we have no promise of tomorrow.

“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” – James 4:13-15 (KJV).

If we fill our lives with material things, rather than spiritual things we will constantly be disappointed.

Think back over your life and consider the important things you earned and counted as blessings. Your first car, your first home and special possession

Yet, all of these things struggle to last. Most material things need maintenance to keep them whole – and in this day and age most things are designed to be disposable.

It seems even cars and houses have to be traded up.

Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV).

We need to prepare for eternity.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV).

Jesus Christ came to earth as the son of God to redeem that which was lost. 

All have sinned and come short of the kingdom of God and can not be reconciled to God without the question of sin being resolved. 

The sacrifice that Christ made on calvary for the lost means that eternity with the heavenly Father is available to all who will simply believe.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12 (KJV).

We must prepare for eternity.

Salvation is a very simple business – children often understand it better than adults.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10 (KJV).

Accepting Christ personally is just the start. Preparation for eternity is a lifelong business.

An old preacher once said, “…if you are a Christian, you are no longer a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.”

Our Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all we have to do is follow.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:2-6 (KJV).

The Christian needs to live a life of service to His Lord, with the promise of eternity always in his mind.

Our Saviour may return at any time.

Are you prepared?