Prepared At All Times

Are you prepared for what is coming? Do you know how to prepare? Do you know what to prepare for? If you knew, would you prepare?

I recall the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared.” I remember my Scout Master often teaching us lessons to be prepared. He always used a different example every time he talked to us about it. We face a lot of different situations as we go through this life, don’t we? Sometimes they catch us completely off guard.

Nearly all of us were caught off guard recently. Though, we did have some time for preparation, if we were paying attention to what was happening and how things were escalating. Too often we are caught unaware because we aren’t paying attention. We don’t like the news, so we don’t watch it. We don’t like our work, so we keep our heads down and only do what we are told. We don’t like our neighbor, so we never look in their direction.

There is another topic we don’t like—death. We don’t want to think about it. We don’t want to discuss it. Yet we all must face it. There is no reason to fear death, unless we are not prepared for it. You may wonder how you can prepare for death, especially if you are still young. There is only one way.

Jesus stated on multiple occasions that no one knows when the end is coming except the Father. He told parables about masters leaving and coming back to check on their servants, and the servants didn’t know when he would return. In today’s Scripture, we see His parable uses a thief coming to the house and the owner is unaware of when.

Folks, none of us know when our end will come. If we are not prepared, saved by Jesus, we are going to end up in eternal torment—hell. If we are saved by Jesus, we will end up in eternal glory—heaven. It’s really pretty simple. When we are prepared, saved, we have no fear of death. We are going to a place far better than anything we can imagine. Perhaps our only regret is that we didn’t do enough while on this earth to ensure our loved ones will be there with us.

Might I suggest that each of us be prepared. Maybe we should spread the gospel of Jesus to those we love, to our neighbor, to people we meet. Just maybe we should live in the comfort of knowing death has no hold over us. Yes, let’s go about our lives prepared.

I pray each of us is prepared. I pray that those who are not prepared will become prepared. I pray everyone will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I pray we all live our lives in peace, knowing we have no fear of death. Be prepared. Accept Jesus as your Savior. Live without fear. Live in peace.

Matthew 24:42-44 “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.”

Exercise Your Faith

Are you exercising? Are you becoming stronger? Will you work at it? What are you doing to strengthen your faith? Are you exercising your faith? Are you testing your faith? Are you stepping out and trusting God a little more each day?

Why do we exercise our bodies? We likely exercise to be healthy. How are we healthier due to exercise? Our heart and lung capacities increase. If we exercise outside, and we should to the extent possible, our immune systems are exposed to a wide variety of germs. Our immune system kicks in, fights them off, and becomes stronger.

Paul tells Timothy that being physically fit has some value (1 Timothy 4:8). He doesn’t say it is the ultimate in value, but we need to be physically able to do the work God lays before us. I believe Paul is telling Timothy to remain physically fit to perform the tasks he is called to do, while not neglecting the most important thing, which is spreading the gospel.

How does this relate to our faith? Physical fitness is a type for our spiritual fitness. Our faith must be strengthened, yet we often don’t think about how we go about doing that. Much like we exercise our physical bodies, pushing them to do more, we must push our faith to increase it.

We can exercise our faith by doing little things at first, much like we start out running a mile rather than a marathon. Our faith exercise may start as simply confessing to be a follower of Jesus when asked. It can be a bit scary at first, but it gets easier the more we do it. We increase our faith.

We can step out of our comfort zone to take on a task at our church. Perhaps it means teaching an elementary age Sunday School class. Perhaps it is saying an opening prayer in front of the congregation. Perhaps we are asked to relate our story and how we came to be a follower of Jesus for our church. Our faith increases.

Ultimately, we want our faith to increase so we can rely on it when the really tough things come, much like a soldier trains for war. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of a war, whether we realize it or not, and Satan continues to attack us. Our faith, trust in God, needs to increase to ward off those attacks. Our faith allows us to persevere.

I pray each of us will take up the challenge to exercise our faith. I pray our faith increases each and every day. I pray the faith of us all will strengthen us to do the work God sets before us. Exercise physically. Exercise spiritually. Increase your faith. Become strong in your faith. Prepare for the fight and persevere. God is faithful.

James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Traditions and God

What are your traditions? Do you have family traditions? Do you hold fast to them? What are the church traditions you adhere to? Do you know if they are biblically based or not? Have you given them any thought? What were Jesus’ commands?

Most of us have traditions we follow. We may call them our routine, rather than traditions. Yet they mean the same. We often will go to extremes to keep them. Why do these become so important to us? No, not all traditions are bad. Yet we should understand why they came into being and what purpose they serve.

For example, family gatherings at Christmas are good traditions. It brings the family together to celebrate the birth of Christ. True, when you dig into the history, it is almost certain He was not born on this day. Yet we don’t know the exact day He was born. Choosing to celebrate His birth is a wonderful thing. It also provides us with an opportunity to celebrate our family. Good.

But why do we have such a wide variety of traditions within the church? Do you know why they exist and where they came from? Are they simply man-made traditions that were devised so a select few could maintain control? Or were they derived from some instruction given in the Bible? Do you know that Christ came to earth and destroyed nearly all of the Jewish traditions and even held those traditions against the Jewish leadership? No, not all traditions are bad and not all are solely man-made.

Yet we should legitimately question the traditions and we should know why they exist. We are not to be lost sheep. We are expected to know who Jesus is and His expectation for us. Sure, we need some leadership. That is why Jesus stated He was our Shepherd (John 10:1-21).

Perhaps God is using this time of disruption to cause us to think about our traditions. Perhaps we should evaluate what it means to be the church. Did you know in the first century there was only one church per city? Sure, they were fewer in number, yet they came together in unity. They came from different backgrounds but joined together in the name of Jesus. They didn’t have lots of traditions, nor did they determine they needed them. After all, they knew the stories of Jesus berating the Jews about their traditions and how the Jews had put traditions ahead of God. No, not all traditions are bad.

Jesus gave us two very simple yet stout commands—we are to love God and love our neighbor. He said ALLof the law and prophets were wrapped up in these commands. Perhaps we should get back to fully adhering to these two commands.

I pray we all decide to love God. I pray each of us will love our neighbor. I pray we examine our traditions and understand their origination. I pray we all decide to live the exciting life of following Jesus. It is exhilarating. Love God. Love your neighbor. Understand your traditions. Live an exciting life in Jesus. Be exhilarated. Jesus loves you.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

What Is Your Excuse?

How many excuses do you have? Have you gotten so used to providing them that you can come up with an excuse without even thinking about it? Why are you not spending more time with God?

This world wants to rob our time and focus. It wants us to spend our non-working time being distracted by things that are not of God. It is evidenced by the sheer number of options to entertain ourselves.

Though our options have decreased to some degree due to the current health crisis, we still have access to thousands of movies online and hundreds of TV channels. We still have the ability to play games with people across the internet and interact with social media. In other words, the world is still distracting us as we seek entertainment.

Let’s do the math. We’ll assume that each of us sleeps for eight hours, works for eight hours, spends an hour going to/from work, at least half an hour taking a shower and getting ourselves dressed, and we spend an hour a day on meals. It’s a given that these times will vary based on how long it takes you to commute to work and how long it takes to prepare your meals.

Going with our basic assumptions, eighteen and a half hours per day are spoken for to continue living and provide for our families. That leaves five and a half hours a day that we do something else. What are we doing with our time? Even if you cut this down to just three hours a day of discretionary time, what are we doing with it? We seek entertainment. We seek escape.

Here’s an idea, why not spend some of that time with God? Why not spend at least a few minutes discussing Him, what He has done for us, what we can petition Him for with our families and friends? Our example of the early church is they spent time every day together to do just that.

So, what is our excuse? We have no legitimate reason. We have time to spend each day. Yet we will come up with a lame excuse not to spend time with God, not to attend church, not to participate in classes, not to read about Him, not to spend time in prayer. The current health crisis with church buildings closed is being used as another lame excuse to ignore God. What do you expect His answer to our lack of attention to Him will be?

I pray we all decide to take advantage of being sequester in our homes to spend more time with God. I pray we all see that God is begging us to know Him better. I pray we take a little time to pray for, not only ourselves, but others as well. Spend time with God. Get to know God better. Follow Jesus’ example. Pray more. God is waiting patiently.

Luke 14:18-20 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’”

Be Prepared

Are you prepared? Do you have an answer if someone asks? Will you be able to explain why you have hope? Do you have an explanation within your own mind? Have you ever really thought about why you have hope?

We prepare answers for many questions as we go about our lives. Sometimes we are given days or even weeks to provide a written answer. At other times the questions come unexpectedly, and we are required to answer on the spot. Those are the questions that often stump us.

Peter gives us the admonition to always be prepared to answer the question concerning our hope. Our hope is spending eternity in heaven. Our hope is based on the love God has for us. Our hope is built on our trust that God will always be there for us. Our trust in God comes through our experience and knowledge of Him.

It is no wonder that when we are a young child, we will quickly repeat what we learned in Sunday School. As a child we trust adults implicitly. We trust our parents to provide for us. We trust our teachers are teaching us truth.

As we grow into adolescence and young adulthood, we start thinking more critically. We start thinking for ourselves. We start questioning what we are taught. It doesn’t mean what we are taught is any less true, it simply means our brains are maturing and we question what we are taught.

As we get older, having a plethora of experiences, our thinking continues to mature. Our capability to discern truth increases, providing we continue to seek it. Understanding the truth of God and where our hope comes from makes it easy for us to answer when asked why we have hope.

We need the hope of Christ in our lives. Without that hope we are left wondering aimlessly in this life, often following the worlds desires, chasing false dreams. When we know where our hope comes from deep within our hearts, we still chase dreams, but with an understanding that we have been guaranteed an inheritance far greater than anything on this earth (Ephesians 1:13-14).

I pray each one of us has the hope of Christ deep within us. I pray we are all prepared to give an answer when asked why we have hope. I pray that we continue to seek after God, walking in step with His instruction, and continuing in our hope. Know God. Trust God. Know you have an eternal inheritance. Be prepared to give an answer. Be a witness for Christ.

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Patience in Uncertain Times

Are you a patient person? Are you willing to wait for good things to come? Will you sit patiently, putting things in God’s hands? Or, are you impatient? Will you be anxious, fretting over getting what you want?

We see tons of impatience in our society today. With the innovation of technology, we have become impatient, expecting to get what we want with just a few keystrokes. Technology can certainly be used for good but has also spoiled us to the point of becoming anxious and impatient.

Our society has lost the ability to be patient. We see it in our businesses—with manager’s demanding new technical capabilities yesterday and asking why it didn’t happen at the snap of their fingers. Our children and grandchildren, who have grown up in this technology age also demand their wants be satisfied immediately.

A character trait has become nearly extinct. Yet, God has a way of causing us to reacquire those traits that He deems important. We have heard that all things happen in God’s time and that is true. Just don’t make us wait for it. We want patience and we want it now. But God doesn’t work that way. In order to teach us patience, God puts us in situations where we have no alternative but wait.

I remember being on a mission trip to Romania. During our return home, we were put in a situation that required patience. Our flight arrived in Madrid with very little time to transfer to our connecting flight. Unfortunately, we had to get our boarding passes for the next flight in Madrid due to the Romanian airlines being unable to provide them to us before we left Bucharest. I jokingly told one lady on our team that she was to blame because she had been praying for patience. You see, we missed our connecting flight and had to stay overnight in Madrid.

We have heard the old saying, “patience is a virtue.” Perhaps what we have forgotten is that virtues come from God. As humans, we are flawed. In order to be virtuous, we need God in our lives. Therefore, in order to be patient, we need God to teach us this virtue.

I pray that we all learn patience as we go through this time of uncertainty. I pray each of us lean on God and remain confident that He is in control. I pray we continue to see the good that God is doing during this disconcerting time. Be confident in God. Be patient with others. Sit quietly and listen for God. Spend time in God’s Word. Be strong in the Lord. Wait for God.

Psalm 27:13-14

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart 

and wait for the Lord.

Rely on God’s Strength

How are you doing? No, how are you really doing? Are you relying on yourself to do all you need to do? Do you ask others to help? Do you rely on others to do for you rather than doing for yourself? Do you ask God to give you the strength you need?

We see all kinds of people as we go through this world. We see some who refuse to ask for help, who will do it on their own or not do it at all. We often think these people are strong. Yet sometimes those people have become that way because others have failed them in the past or they simply want it done their way and don’t trust anyone else to complete the task the way they want.

We see some who ask for help all the time. We may refer to them as being needy. It seems they can do nothing for themselves. We may get tired of them asking for help. Yet they likely have gotten this way because people have done for them for a long time and they’ve become accustomed to others doing their tasks for them, sometimes without even realizing it.

As someone who follows Jesus, we are to be neither of these type of people. We are to lean on God’s strength to help us through whatever we face. We are also to rely on God’s people to help, when needed. Imagine what we could accomplish if we all relied on God’s strength and we all helped each other as needed.

We are to do everything we do to the glory of God. This means every word we speak and every task we work. We are to ask God for the strength to do so and be confident He will provide. This does not mean we do it without the help of others. In fact, God often works through others to our benefit, which means He works through us to the benefit of others.

We have heard the saying, “it takes a community.” When that community relies on the strength of God, our potential is limitless. When the community speaks as Jesus would speak and approach tasks in the way Jesus would approach them, with the strength of God, we find we can take on whatever faces us.

I pray we all determine to rely on God’s strength in our lives. I pray we all speak each word to the glory of God. I pray each of us help each other with tasks. I pray we decide to ask for help when needed and complete what we can without someone else’s help. Be kind to others. Speak as Jesus would speak. Help others. Ask for help. Rely on God’s strength.

1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Courage and Peace

What is courage? Do you know? Have you had courage at some point in your life? Do you have courage now? Are you experiencing difficulty in finding the courage to continue in these difficult times? Do you know there is a source of courage available to you?

Dictionaries state that courage is a state of mind or spirit. It allows us to face difficult times, danger, or pain. It allows us to face them without fear, facing them with bravery. Courage is what enables us to overcome those bad times in our lives.

Courage will enable us to face and overcome the difficult times we face today. It will allow us to face and overcome the fear many are facing today regarding the coronavirus, COVID-19. Courage is what enables us to face moving away from home. It allows us to move forward with our lives when we’ve lost a job. Courage is a motivator.

We have access to unlimited courage in the person of Jesus Christ. He has already overcome this world. He has overcome all diseases. He has overcome our sin. He has overcome Satan. Jesus has overcome whatever it is we face. We can rely on His courage.

Jesus overcame this world in order to give us peace. When we live in peace and at peace, the troubles of this world have no power over us. Oh, we will still face them, but we face them with the strength, power, and courage of Jesus Christ.

The peace we have will allow us to be calm in the chaos. It will allow us to think through and work through the problem. It will enable us to hear God speaking in that still, small voice, telling us how to overcome. That peace will make us stand out in a crowd—people will ask how we can remain so calm. Our answer—Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught many lessons while He walked this earth. He has continued to teach through the apostles, preachers, pastors, Sunday School teachers, parents, and many more. He has taught us all this so that we may have peace and courage to face the difficulties thrown at us during our lives. It is available to us. We simply need to reach for it, take hold of it, and put it to use.

I pray each of us will reach out to Jesus for courage. I pray we all seek His peace. I pray we all feel the calm come over us as Jesus provides it for us. Seek Jesus. Seek His courage. Seek His peace. Be an overcomer. You can do it.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Calm vs Panic

Are you afraid? Are you fearful? Is it the fear of the unknown? Is it the fear of a mortal existence and the possibility of it ending? Are you in panic mode? Has fear been feeding fear within you?

We all have fears. We see others who have fears. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with fear. It’s a natural emotion when we are faced with a dangerous situation. Certainly, we should experience fear in a life-threatening situation. However, when fear becomes overwhelming, to the point of panic, it is unhealthy and unholy.

God is holy. He is also perfect. His holiness is part of His perfection. Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48). If we are to be perfect, we also must be holy. Jesus also told us not to be afraid, but to believe in him (Mark 5:36).

As Christians, we are called to help others. This can be done in many ways. We may be doctors or nurses, caring for the sick. We may pray for those who are sick, their families, and the medical personnel caring for them. We may be the person who is a voice of calm in the chaos. We may be the person who only purchases what is needed for a couple of weeks rather than hoarding supplies.

Most certainly, we are the person who does not allow fear to control us, to force us into a panic. We trust God and know that He is in control. We know that we will be with Him for eternity when our time on this earth is done and we find comfort in that knowledge.

The belief of being with God forever is what drove the Christians of the 16th century to care for those suffering from the bubonic plague, the black death. They stayed with those who were sick and cared for them. They kept calm, did the work God called them to do, and did it all in the comfort of knowing they were guaranteed heaven.

During this time of uncertainty, chaos, fake news that incites panic, and hoarding; we are called to remain calm and not panic. That doesn’t mean we should be foolish. We should be cautious, yet also serve others as we are able. We should only purchase the supplies we need for a couple weeks. We should pray for those who are sick and those who are caring for them. All while trusting God to carry us through it and trusting that when we leave this life, we will be with Him for eternity.

I pray we all trust God. I pray we all remain calm. I pray we all lean on the strength that God will provide. I pray that we find courage in a time of fear. Trust God. Do not fear. Know that God is in control. Know that God is always with you. Serve others in love. God loves you.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Believe In God

What do you believe? Who do you believe? How do you live out your beliefs? Do you share your beliefs with others? Do others accept your beliefs? Are you willing to live out your beliefs, even if others disagree?

We all have many beliefs. Some of those beliefs are very simple and some are more complex. Some are easy and some are more difficult to explain. Some may be shared with most or all of our friends, while some may be ones that few people share with you.

Whether we realize it or not, we do live out our beliefs in most cases. Occasionally, we fake it and go along with something that doesn’t fit our beliefs. Yet, we often feel guilty later, after we have had time to reflect.

We are most satisfied and happy when we follow our beliefs. It’s when we walk in concert with our beliefs that we feel most fulfilled. When our beliefs are in line with God, we are at peace, we experience joy, we are comforted.

Many, if not most of us, believe there is a God. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe He taught great things and was a living example of how we should live. So, why are we troubled in this world? We do we worry about tomorrow when He told us not to (Matthew 6:34)? Why do we fear when he told us not to (Matthew 5:36)?

There are many things that cause us to be fearful, to worry, to lose our peace. We often can’t list them if someone were to ask us to. Yet we know them when they hit us—right between the eyes. You know it, don’t you? We all do.

It bothers us that God doesn’t always heal. It bothers us when we don’t understand how God works in our lives. We get confused. We try to figure it out. We want to have a scientific explanation. We read theology books, hoping to find answers.

Jesus simply tells us to believe in God and to believe in Him. If we are in Him, we have nothing to fear. You see, if we were to lose our life today, we end up in heaven with God for eternity. That is like going from living in the worst slums you can imagine to living in Disneyland forever. Can you imagine? No, I don’t think any of us can imagine how wonderful that will be. Yet we are not going there yet. We will have to continue to use our creative imaginations for now.

I pray we all believe in Jesus. I pray we all believe that He has the best in mind for us. I pray we each decide to trust God to remove our worries and fears. Believe in God. Trust God to have your best interest at heart. Trust He will get you through whatever you are going through. Believe in Him.

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”