What is the motto of the Boy Scouts? Do you know?

“Be prepared!” Although I was never in a troop, I love the Boy Scouts. I have the highest respect for anyone who becomes an Eagle Scout.

The true Christian is prepared. They are "ready."

Prepared for what? Jesus says that we should "be ready" for that "day and hour" which no one knows. What is "that day?" He calls it "the coming of the Son of Man" which, He says, was like the judgment flood in the time of Noah. Then He says it will come like "a thief in the night" who comes suddenly and unexpectedly. Jesus says in Matthew 24:44 "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Perhaps you would ask, “What do I have to do to be prepared?" Well, the whole Bible gives the answer. But here is the "Reader’s Digest condensed version:"

First, come to the One who WAS prepared and who WAS faithful. Who is that? Jesus. Come to the one who took your judgment upon Himself! Come by faith to The Perfect Servant, and trust Christ as your Savior. Acknowledge that, like me, you are a sinner who has not been faithful to God, but has been self-indulgent, angry, and selfish – the very sins that Jesus condemns as worthy of hell in this passage. Then believe that his death on the cross was sufficient to pay for all your sins. If you do, then you can say with Martin Luther: “So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and where He is, there I shall be also!”

Second, the true Christian then loves to serve Christ. Why? Because Christ served him! Christ gave his life for you, so now, very simply, you want to please him.

You know, when you show something to the Christian in their life that displeases Christ, how does the Christian respond? The Christian wants to put it off and get rid of it. And when you show something to the Christian that Christ loves and approves of, the Christian wants to do it.

Is that part of your conscious living? This is a major part of your "preparation for that day." And of course, it follows that if you love a person, you want to be with them. You enjoy thinking about them and reading about them and talking to them. But most of all you want to be with them. Do you long for “That Day” of the coming of the Lord when you will be united with Christ forever and you will enjoy intimate fellowship with Him?

Listen. Don’t worry about trying to decipher some secret signs that might hint that Christ is about to return. He hasn’t given those to us. All he says is "I am coming soon." And he says that so that people in every age would understand that "he might come today!" So, instead of trying to figure out the day and the hour, which we know is fruitless, just be prepared and eager for Him to return.

If you are reading this now and it warms your heart, then I believe you are awake and being prepared!

It’s going to be a great and awesome day of joy for those of you who love and trust him. You will see Him and enjoy Him forever.

Musing’s from Pastor John, February 7, Click to Email Pastor John