Are You Ready?
1. We Can Be Ready!
I am ready for a change of seasons. The summer was so hot and dry that it made it hard for me to breathe and I spent most days in the house. Then we had the heavy rains that went on for days and days and the high humidity also did a job on my asthma. For our new devotional theme I am asking the question, "Are You Ready?" Are you getting ready for an end of summer vacation? Are your children ready to go back to school? It is still a month away, but are you ready for autumn? For the cool days and crisp nights and smells of fall? Are you ready to go forward in your life in service to the Lord? Most of all, are you ready to meet the Lord? He's coming back! We better be ready!
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
2. Getting Ready To Go Out
A few weeks ago Susanna had some more strong contractions while at church on a Sunday night and when she called the doctor he told her to go back to the hospital to check the baby so I told her that we would keep Jedidiah and Elsa. After we fed the kids I told them to go get ready for bed, so they ran to Susanna's old bedroom, which they named the "baby room", where I keep a laundry basket filled with different sized clothes for "such a time as this." Jedidiah actually found a pair of his pajamas that had been left here and I helped Elsa go through half the clothes in the basket to find something that she wanted to sleep in. They dressed quickly, excited to help pull out the sleeper sofa. Jedidiah read some Bible verses from Genesis about the creation and he did really well to be six years old, then we watched a little television with them before going to sleep. After breakfast the next morning I sent them back to the basket to find play clothes. Later I told them to put their shoes on because we had some places to go. Jedidiah put his shoes on and ran to the door, but Elsa disappeared. I found her in the baby room changing clothes again, (I think it's a girl thing). She had pulled out a dress that was about three inches below her knees and small pink lace socks that she probably wore two years ago. She had already started pulling off her clothes so I helped her into the dress and she sat down and put on her socks. I helped her make sure she had her shoes on the right feet, and she went into the bathroom and brushed her hair, telling me, "I can do it." She then turned to me and said, "Now, I look like a woman. I look like my MeMaw." My heart was suddenly overwhelmed with great joy and such a tremendous responsibility, all at the same time. I realized that this precious little three year old girl was watching me and wanted to be like me. We get ready to go places and we look in the mirror to make sure our hair is right and our clothes are the right choice, and we think about how we look to the people we will see, but we don't think about the little eyes that are looking up to us. They are following us and want to fill our shoes and we need to think about them as we make our daily choices. We need to be Christian examples to those who are watching our lives, especially the young ones who are so impressionable, because the pull of this world is strong against the ways of God.
"10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." (Proverbs 31:10 & 25-31)
3. Are You Ready For School?
Michael is beginning his 42nd year as a school teacher, so even though our children have grown up and moved on we still hear the question, "Are you ready for school to start?" My mind goes back to when our children started school and I could tell stories about how each one handled the new challenge differently, but the memory I look back on the most is Joshua's kindergarten assessment tests. He did great on all the motor skills and following directions and even on the verbal questions and answers. When the teacher asked him what his Dad did, he told her that he works at school, but when he was asked what his Mom did, he said, "She takes naps." I was embarrassed that of all the time I spent caring for five young children, feeding them, and cleaning the house, he told the teacher that I take naps. Now that I am older and I look back on those times I believe that Joshua gave that answer because that was a special time for him. I was busy. He was the fourth boy and I now had a baby girl to care for and I didn't have as much time to spend with each one of them individually. But each afternoon, I took time to read to them, and even though the older children did not have to go to sleep, it was a quiet time that I spent with them. The lunch dishes waited in the sink, the clothes that needed folding waited in the play pen, and I laid down and read to my babies until the little ones drifted off to sleep, not realizing that that was the most important time of the day for my little Joshua. God's plan is for us to teach our children when they are young and I am blessed to have all these memories. Today I want to encourage you to take time to read to your children and grandchildren, and teach them the things of God. Give them a good foundation in God's Word. "And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 11:19)
4. Are You Ready To Forgive?
Do you know that even the great preachers and leaders of the early church had disagreements and didn't always get along? I am reading in Acts and I came to the story of the argument between Paul and Barnabas.
"36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." (Acts 15:36-41)
Have you ever been in that place where the arguments were so strong between you and a good friend that you just went your separate ways? It happens. A lot. Words are sharp and they cut to the heart and we can't forget and that makes it hard to forgive. Let's look at how things ended with Paul and John Mark. We have some of Paul's last words in II Timothy 4:6-7. "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" A few verses later he says, "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry." (verse 11) I am glad that he took time to tell us that he made things right with Mark. We don't know when or how, but at some point in their lives they were ready to forgive. Maybe it wasn't a Christian friend or brother that hurt you, but a family member. We also have an example for that in the Bible. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, but God was with Joseph and he became a high leader in Egypt. He forgave the great sin against him by his brothers, and saved his family.
"19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." (Genesis 50:19-21)
God's Word teaches us to forgive, and it is not easy, but maybe you can take the first step and begin praying, asking the Lord to help you become ready to forgive.
5. Are You Ready For A New Day?
I have sweet memories of going to Bible school when I was a little girl. One year my Grandma Beasley was my craft teacher and she had drawn a rooster on a large Dixie strong paper plate for each child. She had all sorts of dried beans for us to glue on the plate to decorate our rooster. I think of this every time I read Psalms 5:3. "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Just as a rooster lifts its voice up every morning, we can lift our voice up in prayer to the Lord and look up. Are you ready for a new day? You may have had a terrible day yesterday and you dread what you may be facing today, but God has promised in Hebrews 13:5, "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Ask the Lord to help you with the problems you may be facing. Or the opposite may be true and you had an amazingly great day yesterday and you feel like today will be a let down as you get back into your normal routine. Your day doesn't have to be dull and monotonous. Lift up your voice in praise. Look for the blessings God has sent your way. Lift up your heart in thanksgiving. Lift up your head in wonder of His mercy and grace. We never know what a day will bring, but God gives us each new day, and each day tells us that our work for the Lord is not done. Greet the new day with this uplifting thought, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
6. Are We Ready To Serve In Humbleness?
Pastor Jack Tripp finished his sermons from the book of I Peter and one of the verses reminded me of an embarrassing thing that happened years ago when I worked in an office. The verse he read was, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:" (I Peter 5:6) One of my co-workers had given me a pretty plaque that had James 4:10 on it. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." It was several inches big and made of some type of resin that was quite heavy. I placed it on the storage compartment over my desk. One day my boss came out of his office and was bragging on some work I had done and I could feel the pride swell up within. When he turned and walked back towards his office the plaque slid off the shelf and hit me on the head before landing on the floor. It hurt. It hurt my head. And it hurt my pride. I realized that I had let pride take over my thoughts and God was reminding me to work in humility. I never tried to glue the broken corner so that it would be a reminder to me not to lift myself up above others.
Are you ready to serve God in humbleness? There is a fine line in being ready to serve God with zeal and eagerness to do His will, and stepping up to serve Him in pride that we can do it of ourselves. I enjoy singing for the Lord, but I need to make sure I am singing for the Lord and not to glorify my talents or ability. I enjoy writing these devotionals each day, but I have to pray for God's guidance that I will write what He leads me to say, and that it will be an encouragement to others and glorify His Name. Many times I get the most comments from the posts that I don't feel were as meaningful as some of the more personal ones. It is good to get up each morning ready to serve the Lord. But, let's make sure we are placing our lives and abilities in His hands, to do His will, and not serve Him with a prideful heart.
7. Are You Ready To Meet The Lord?
Last week we met our new grandbaby for the very first time. It was so exciting to finally get to see him and hold him. We had been expecting his arrival for quite some time and looked for his coming. We were ready, and I know that his Mom and Dad had made all the preparations for his arrival. It is a good feeling to get to meet someone you want to meet. During our Youth Jubilee I got to meet Andrea and Alisha Colson, sister missionaries serving in Chuuk, Micronesia. I have been following their work for several years and it was so good to meet them and talk with them. Today we have a very important question. Are you ready to meet the Lord? We have heard that He is coming again. The message has been passed down through God's Word for more than 2,000 years. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) Jesus is coming again! Not as a baby in a manger, but He is coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He could come any day. He could come today! Preparations have been made for our new home in glory!
"1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 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.
3 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." (John 14:1-3)
Are you ready to meet the Lord? Have you accepted the gift of salvation and everlasting life? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Accept that you are lost, for all have sinned. Believe that Jesus, God's only Son, died to pay for your sin on the cross. Confess your sin to Jesus and trust Him to save you. Don't wait until it is too late. Be ready to meet the Lord. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 24:44)
8. Are Your Loved Ones Ready To Meet The Lord?
I learned the story of Noah and the Ark as a child, but it took me years to fully understand the devastation of the flood. We know the physical damage and destruction done to the earth, but how often do we consider the mental anguish Noah and his family must have suffered. I Peter 3:20 tells us that only eight people were saved on the ark. "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." Genesis 5:30 tells us that Noah's father lived 595 years after Noah was born and had more sons and daughters. We don't know how many, but I believe that Noah could have had a great number of brothers and sisters. Noah's grandfather was Methuselah and he lived 782 years after Noah's father was born and he had more sons and daughters. This tells us that Noah had aunts and uncles and I believe there were many, many cousins. I have not even mentioned the families of Noah's wife and their daughters-in-law. Noah and his family knew many people that chose not to enter the ark with them. Could Noah and his family hear their screams and cries through the sound of the storm? Also, when we take into consideration that people lived hundreds of years, it is probable that there were people living during Noah's day that had met Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, who walked and talked with God. Following the number of years, we see that Adam was still living when Lamech, Noah's father, was born. Had the knowledge of God dwindled so far away in only 1,000 years? My question today is, "Are your loved ones ready to meet the Lord?" Can they see Jesus in your life? Are you walking with the Lord, and working for the Lord, and witnessing as you wait for the Lord's return? Only Noah's wife, sons, and their wives were saved in the ark. Noah did all he could... but no one else would listen. Are we doing all we can to tell our loved ones about our Savior? I look around and see all the sinfulness of this world and I pray like John, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20) But, it will be a sad day for many who are not ready to meet the Lord. Are my children ready to meet the Lord? Will I have cousins at the judgment seat of Christ who will point at me and say, "Why didn't you tell me?" Will the people I worked with day after day cry out that I never witnessed to them? I have often wondered if Noah thought the ramp would float as the water rose and some of his friends and family might make their way to the ark, but God closed the door and after judgment began to fall it was too late for them to change their minds. God has provided the Way of salvation, but one day it will be too late. Are your loved ones ready to meet the Lord? We need to see that it doesn't matter how rich we are or how far we climb up the status ladder. What matters most is that we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and we are living for Him so that others can see Christ through our lives.
9. God Is Ready To Forgive
I want to share an encouraging verse with you today found in Psalm 86:5. "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." When we have wronged someone, it is really hard to go to that person and ask for forgiveness. We don't ever know if the person will forgive us, or if we can go forward peacefully. When we sin against God, (and are not all sins against God?), our verse tells us that God is good and He is ready to forgive, plenteous in mercy. You may feel like your sin is too small to matter to God. But His Word tells us "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; " (Romans 3:23) There is no sin too small to matter. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) On the other hand, you may feel like your sin is too big for God to forgive. This Psalm was written by David. He committed adultery and then had the woman's husband killed. Yet, he found forgiveness with God. The Psalm begins, "Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy... Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily." (verses 1 & 3) Our first step is to see our lost and lowly condition. We are indeed, poor and needy. When we cry out to God we have assurance that God hears and answers our prayers. "In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." (verse 7) God is love and He is waiting for us to call on Him for mercy. He is ready to forgive.
10. Moses Thought He Was Ready
Have you ever felt like God was leading you in a specific direction, but the timing was not right? Today I want to look at Moses. Pharaoh's daughter rescued him from the river and raised him, but his heart was with his people, the Children of Israel. He thought he was ready to help them, but he tried in his own strength and power and failed.
"11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well." (Exodus 2:11-15)
Moses fled and kept sheep on the back side of the desert for forty years. One day God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. "And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11) After asking God, "Who am I?" he basically asked God, "Who are You?" " And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14) "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee." (Exodus 4:1)
Moses had tried forty years before and had to flee from Egypt and now God was asking him to go back and be a leader over His people. Maybe he thought that he had wasted all those years in the desert. I believe that God used those years to train Moses to be a shepherd over His people. The task was a great one, and Moses was finally ready for all God wanted him to do. Moses went back to Egypt and God used him in a mighty way to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, to the Promised Land.
We may feel like God is leading us to do something and we jump in with both feet. We may fail because we were trying to do it in our own power and strength. We retreat and spend what feels like wasted time in our own desert. But, God may be getting us ready for a new task, or even the same task, at a new time. If God calls again, be ready to go with Him, not in your own power and strength, but in the power and strength of the Lord God Almighty!
11. Naaman Was Ready To Do Some Great Thing
Naaman was captain of the host of Syria and had carried a little girl back to be a maid for his wife. He was a leper and the little maid told Naaman's wife that the prophet in Samaria could heal him of his leprosy. So off he went, ready for a great thing.
"9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel:..." (II Kings 5:9-15)
When we are young in Christ and our zeal for the Lord is great, we may want to do some great thing for the Lord. We may not know much about God's Word at our new birth, but we are excited for the Lord and feel ready for something great and mighty. God may have a great ministry planned for you, but He may first prepare you in washing and cleansing your life. In speaking of Christ's love for the church Paul said, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:26-27) To be ready to do some great thing for the Lord we need to get in God's Word and let it cleanse us, so we can be used by Him.
12. Isaiah Was Ready To Carry The Message Of The Lord
Before we look at Isaiah I want to set the scene. "Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. ... And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,... And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper." (II Chronicles 26:3-5) For 52 years Jerusalem had a good king, which sought the Lord, and that was good. When a king died the people did not know what type of ruler would take his place. There were good kings who followed God but there were also wicked kings who brought God's judgment on the people. Isaiah was a prophet during the reign of Uzziah, and while the nation mourned the death of the king, Isaiah saw the King of Glory on His throne.
"1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:1-3)
When Isaiah saw the holiness of God he saw his own low estate.
"5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." (Isaiah 6:5-8)
There is so much wickedness in the world today and they have no fear of God because they have never seen the holiness of God Almighty. I believe the Lord is still seeking men and women to go into the world and tell them about the saving grace of Jesus. When the Lord asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah answered, "Here am I; send me." Isaiah was ready to go for the Lord. Jesus said, "... Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) Are we ready to tell a lost and dying world that Jesus saves?
13. Esther Was Ready "For Such A Time As This"
When my sister and I were in the first and second grades, we often walked home from school. It seemed like a long way to us, but the only trouble we really had was when some dogs got out of their fence, and chased us. We would climb up the bleachers to get on top of the dugout at the ball field to wait until the dogs went home. Things have really changed in fifty years. My sister drives a school bus and she says that she can't even let a first grader off the bus unless an adult is there waiting. I never thought I would see such a time as this. And I was definitely not ready "for such a time as this."
My thoughts today come from the book of Esther. Esther was a Jew who was brought up by her cousin Mordecai. They had been carried away into captivity from Jerusalem. Esther was very beautiful and she was chosen by King Ahasuerus to be queen in Shushan, the palace of Media and Persia. When Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, he set out to destroy all the Jews. Mordecai sent a message to Esther warning her of Haman's wicked plan and told her that she needed to go in and seek help from the king. Esther replied that it would be dangerous for her to go in before the king without being called.
"13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:13-14)
God is not surprised by the wickedness in the world today. We may have not been ready "for such a time as this" but it is time we went to our King of Kings and prayed that God will help us during these last days. Christian values are being attacked on every hand, but I want to encourage you to be faithful in prayer. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)
14. I Was Ready For Some Fresh Vegetables
Those who know me know how much I enjoy my summer garden. I spend time in the winter looking at the companion planting charts and I choose my vegetables and flowers and plan where everything will go. Last year I had enough to eat, enough to share, and enough to can for the winter. This spring the weather was wet and cold and I had to wait several weeks before I could get the ground ready to plant. The garden looked good for a few weeks and I was ready for some fresh vegetables. Then the weather grew hot and dry. We had a few good squash, then the plants started dying. I only had a couple handfuls of green beans. The cucumbers grew very bitter. The ants ate the okra. The squirrels ate the corn. I don't know what ate the tops of the melons. I stopped checking on the garden and decided to just let the critters have it. Then the rain started coming. It seems like it rained about every day for weeks. I walked down to the garden this week to see if any of the tomatoes had ripened without bursting from all the water and I found two small ones, just right for a salad. Then I found four cucumbers. As I started out of the garden I saw some green beans. I filled the grocery bag with fresh green beans. The okra plants have started growing again and the ants are gone. (I wonder if all the rain has washed them down the hill.) I was surprised and pleased with these fresh vegetables. I had completely given up on the garden, happy and content with the little we got earlier, but the Lord let me enjoy a little more from it. Today I want to thank the Lord for giving me a little more harvest for my labors. "I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me." (Psalm 13:6)
15. Be Ready To Give An Answer Of Your Hope
To finish our thoughts on "Are You Ready?" we are looking at I Peter 3:15. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" Can the people around us see Jesus in our lives? When we are going through troubles and trials, do we walk by faith, secure in the hope we have in our Lord and Savior? Our verse encourages us to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." But, first we need to make sure we "sanctify the Lord" in our hearts. We need to purify and cleanse our lives and dedicate our lives to God. When we live according to God's Word, those around us will see hope in the times of trouble, peace in the midst of storms, and joy through our sorrows. That gives us a great opportunity to tell them the reason for our hope.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:13-14)
