“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ dies once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him. Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT)
Readiness is an issue with which we must deal in virtually every stage of our life. As children our “readiness” is mostly our parents’ responsibility, but as we age and begin assuming more responsibility for ourselves, our lives can become very complicated. “Are you ready yet?” may be a resounding echo of our parent’s voice or our siblings, our spouse, our employer, and on and on it goes.
“Are you ready?” can stir our heart and mind as we prepare for a part in a play, a test at school, get ready for our first date, as we try out for a sports team, apply for a job, as we contemplate marriage, as we invite our first child into the world, as we anticipate the death of a family member or friend, or even as we come to the end of a relationship.
Ron Hutchcraft said: “If our dreams reflect our fears, then there must be this fear deep down inside of many of us that we won’t be ready when an important moment comes.” And while some of those moments generate more anxiety and fear than others, none should concern us more than readiness to meet Jesus at the end of our time on this earth.
It sometimes occurs to me that for everything we do there will come a last time to do it. Things as simple as opening or closing the refrigerator door, picking up the mail, or driving a car, to kissing our spouse or hugging our child for the last time. Part of the irony is, we never know when we do those things if that will be the last time. And while all those kinds of things will happen while we’re still alive, none of them will matter as much as whether we’re ready to meet Jesus when we take our last breath.
Ron Hutchcraft continued: “So, the moment you take your last breath, there’s God. Earth appointments? They can be postponed. They can be canceled, but God has this one in indelible ink in His calendar. The One who gave you your life is the One you will meet at the end of your life. The question the Bible raises is, ‘Are you prepared?’ You say, ‘Well, yeah, I’m a good person.’ Unfortunately, that doesn’t answer the question.”
Since becoming a Jesus follower I’ve asked dozens of people: “If you were to stand before God and He was to ask you ‘Why should I let you into my perfect heaven?’ what would you say?” Do you know what the vast majority say? Some version of “because I’m a good person.” Do you want to know the sad truth? Most of them were good in many ways! But our personal goodness is not the criterion upon which entrance into heaven is based.
Acts 4:11-12 reminds us: “For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Each of us has an unavoidable appointment with God. Each of us will stand alone before the King of kings and Lord of lords to give an account of our life. What does that mean? It primarily means “What have we done with Jesus?” Did we receive the gift of eternal life that only He offers? Or did we try to find another way, like trusting in our own goodness or our adherence to some religion?
If you aren’t certain that Jesus is your Lord, that He has forgiven your sins and filled you with His Holy Spirit, please click this link to Ron Hutchcraft’s Bridge to God. It’s the only way to be ready to meet Him when you die!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed
Walking With Jesus 