Being Prepared

Think about the things above and not things on earth. Colossians 3:2 CEB

Here in South Carolina, we are preparing for a storm that will bring us a lot of wind and rain for two to three days. We are watching the news, checking models, buying food and supplies, and we are boarding up homes.  Our Governor has declared a state of emergency. We have people evacuating the coast and we have linemen coming in from all over the country to fix our line. In other words, we are prepping for the worst and hoping for the best.

It seems like we are eager to prepare for a storm that is days away, but we fail to prepare our souls for when we die.  God has told us time and time again that He will return to separate those who are prepared to live with Him from those who neglected to do so.  We don’t know when or how we will die.  However, we do know that death is a certainty.  Some people even fail to properly insure themselves before they die leaving the burden on their loved ones to settle the cost.

We have to place just as much effort in living a Godly life as focus on preparing for things we can see here on earth.  The storm heading for us is huge and massive.  It will leave a tempory impact on our lives and it will be gone in a matter of days.  We prepare hard for it and we wait.  the way we live our lives and treat our fellow man will prepare how we will live in eternity.  If we are selfish, self-righteous, non-caring people we will suffer for it.  If we are repentant, humble, empathetic, loving, and giving like our God is then we will be rewarded for it.

We don’t when our where Jesus will return for His church.  So we have to prepare daily and intentionally for his return.  In order to do that, we must change our focus from worldly thinking and focus on Godly things.  We to seek God first. We have to love our neighbors. We have to be willing to love the unlovable, help those who don’t want it, go places others are afraid to go and do things others aren’t willing to do. We have to listen when others turn away and we have to be the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Prepping for a storm is easy. Prepping for eternal life is hard. It is a daily process.  God gives us a new chance each day the sun rises.  We will fall short. We will mess up. We will make mistakes, but God will be there to forgive, heal, and redeem us.  So we must not get all caught up in just prepping for the storms of life. We must focus on making our home in a building especially prepared for us by Christ. We have to send up our timber to the master craftsman, Jesus, by living our lives according to His teachings. Be safe and be prepared.