WILL YOU BE READY?

To be honored is a wonderful thing; it is a mark of distinction, of privilege, and it represents a sense of ethical conduct and integrity. Honor suggests a job well done and that someone was at the top of their game, doing all that was required at all times, not just sometimes.  It would be awesome to be held in such high esteem, especially by God! But are we prepared to receive such accolades from on high? Is our living so honorable that He would find us watching for His return?

The world has us so busy that we fall short on many levels when it comes to living our lives for Christ. We pray, but do not tithe. We tithe, but do not fellowship. We fellowship, but do not study. We study, but do not serve. We serve, but do not pray. True discipleship requires that we submit to what God has asked of us regardless of what else is happening around us. Those that are found doing what is expected will reap the blessings of a risen Savior. We will be treated as friends and honored guests.

Prayer, fellowship, tithing, service, and Bible study are all forms of praise and worship that pleases God and anoints us with His presence. The Bible calls for us to be ready and dressed for action (see Luke 12:35). Though this is a reference to the Second Coming of Christ, this is also a command for us to be active in our service. 

Some of us are perpetual fence riders and are partial participants in the body of a complete and whole Savior. We are aware of the requirements of service but we are lacking in our willingness to obey God’s Word completely. The Bible tells us that the servant that disobeys and does not prepare will suffer (see Luke 12:47). We tend to operate with no fear of God’s wrath. We say:

• I give enough; the lights are on every Sunday, right?
• I fellowship enough; ask Sister So & So, we talk all the time. 
• I pray for the sick and shut in. I even visited Elder XYZ at hospice.
• I attend Bible study; here, look at my notes.

We proclaim these things but our actions are often half-hearted with no good intent. But do not be fooled, half-hearted worship is like no worship at all. Consider the church at Laodicea (see Revelation 3:16). This church was charged with being lukewarm, and was about to be spit out; but Christ called them to repent so that they would have a seat with Him at the throne (see Revelation 3:21). 
This walk with Christ is not a passive one. It requires action on the part of the believer, continuous action that should be evident when He returns.

In this world of darkness, believers in Christ should be the beacons of light that reflect His sacrificial love. When He returns, He should be able to distinguish us; because we should be dressed, ready for service with our lamps burning. Scripture tells us that the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour (see Luke 12:40). He wants to honor us in the presence of our Father, but we must do our part to receive such a blessing. The only question that remains: Will you be ready when He comes?

Scripture: It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. Luke 12:37 NIV

Prayer: Lord, we call upon you asking that you will give us the strength and the willingness to be bold and upright in our walk with Christ. Forgive us for our lukewarm actions in the Body of Christ. Help us to be authentic in our praise and worship that we may be honored by your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen! 

Read Luke chapter 12:35-48 for further study on the benefits of readiness.

POWER-PACKED PRAYER

When you pray to God for something, what are your expectations? In your prayers are you focused on self or do you pray for others? Do you pray counting on God to handle a situation and no sooner than you say “amen” you begin to worry? When praying for a loved one to be healed and they die instead, does God become a disappointment to you? We all want our prayers to be answered, but when we come before God in prayer we must have a deeper understanding of His will versus ours.

Prayer is our time to communicate with God and appeal to Him concerning our needs and our desires, to exalt Him, to give thanks, and to repent. Our time spent in prayer should reflect the trust we have in Him and deepen our connection to Him. He expects honesty, openness and faith when we come to Him in prayer. Heartfelt prayers are pleasing to God because He knows what is needed before we can even ask (see Matthew 6:8) Talk to God as if He is the only one available for conversation and believe that there is power in the words said to Him. The best way to do that is to use the power of His word and pray it back to Him.

Remember that God is not some genie in a bottle that if we rub the right way we will get what we wish for. He is not a magician that sprinkles magic dust on our situation in order to fix it. He is the all powerful, all knowing, ever present God of creation that can do exceedingly and abundantly beyond anything that we can ask for or imagine. And it is according to His will and not ours.

God in His infinite wisdom will answer our prayers, but not in the manner that we asked. Pray for patience and He provides opportunity to practice being patient. Pray for strength and get the chance to be strong. Pray for wisdom and begin to see situations from a whole new perspective. 

Prayer is an outward expression of our faith in His ability to answer our prayers and when we come before Him, we must acknowledge His power to do so!

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.James 5:16 NIV

Prayer: Lord we call out to you praising you and thanking you for listening to our prayers. Forgive us our sins and lead us in the ways of righteousness so that our prayers can be a sweet and harmonious cry to you. You are an awesome God that is worthy of all our devotion and praise. Please Lord, continue to bless and keep us from falling outside of your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read Matthew 6:9-13 to learn how to pray effectively.

GOD’S TIMING IS NEVER TOO LATE

How many of your dreams or goals have you surrendered because you feel the time has passed for you? Is there something that you have wanted to experience but have convinced yourself that you are too old? Now here’s the real question, if you really believe that time has withered away your dream, why do you still desire it? 

When we look at time from our human eye view all we see are the limitations of it; but if you are still here with a desire in your heart for something, God is not through with you yet. Start looking at life from God’s point of view, for He can do exceedingly above anything we can ask for or imagine.

The Lord has been doing a great work in us and it is in His time that our blessings will spring forth; God in His infinite wisdom knows when we are ready. As we become more seasoned, the Holy Spirit has had time to work within us and we are not the same as we were 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago. Remember that we are uniquely and wonderfully made and not all of us are on the same time table, what worked for someone else a decade ago was not for us then. 

Consider the retiree that wants to pursue a degree, the middle aged single that dreams of marriage and starting a family, the 35-year old that dreams of playing profession ball, or the 70-year old would-be actor. The time is now or yet to come. Abram and Sarai are great examples of God’s impeccable timing. They were an elderly couple with no children of their own and God told them that Abram would have a son and be the father of nations (see Genesis 15:4-5). God fulfilled His promise (see Genesis 21:1-3).

We live in a society where everything is rushed and youth is praised; technological advances put everything at our fingertips in a matter of moments and we do not want to wait for anything. Like today’s youth, many of us have adopted that ‘now’ mentality and we want God to operate on it too. We must remember that God’s ways are not our ways and His word will not return to Him void but accomplish that which He purposed for it (see Isaiah 55:8-11). 

So if it took 40 years of working before the retiree could have time to enroll in school, so be it. Move when God says move. If at 50, the single wants to start a family, rejoice because triplets may be God’s plan of action. The dream of being a professional athlete may be a coaching position with a favored team, and the actor may find the role of a lifetime in a stage play inspired by God! It is not over until God says it is, and His timing is never too late!

Scripture: To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 NKJV

Prayer: Thank you Father God for your abundant blessings, even for those we have not received yet. We praise you for knowing what is best for us and when we are able to handle it. Let each of us move forward in the race that you have set before us and finish in a manner that is pleasing to you. Forgive us for trying to regulate your timing, and please let your will be done in each of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read Ecclesiastes 3 in its entirety to understand the magnificence of God’s timing.