Jesus is returning for us today...

Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.


When you know not.
When you think not.


How many times have you regretted not being ready for something? If you're anything like me, more than once. Yet, do we always feel that way about being robbed? I know I don't, or didn't, or perhaps don't feel I should or you should because sometimes we take all the precautions, lock our doors, lock our windows, get a friend to keep an eye on the house and still a robber manages to gain entrance even though all the proper precautions were made. If all the proper precautions are made how can a person feel guilty over being robbed? How can they feel that they should have done something more when they did all they could? That' not quite what Jesus is saying is it.


In our case we don't believe, really, really believe we will be robbed and that's what allows us to leave our homes and go out. If we thought that every time we left our house unoccupied it would be robbed- we'd make sure it was never unoccupied, right? We'd be downright foolish and deserving of being robbed if we didn't keep our home occupied.


If we are told that our Lord is going to come and we can't know when that tells us something very important… we have to be ready for Him at ALL times and never leave our house unoccupied!


If we are told that our Lord is going come when we think He won't that tells us something as well. We cannot trust our own thoughts for preparation and once again we have to be ready all the time, even when we can't imagine our Lord coming. We can't let our guard down because we think the Lord won't be coming today. It's not a day to go out and party because our parents are away for now, it's not time to invite our partying friends over just because we're positive there is no way our parents will be home- they're hundreds and hundreds of miles away. It's the same with our thoughts on our Savior's return for us. We can NEVER be unprepared. We can NEVER afford to believe today won't be the day because we will NEVER know exactly when our Savior will return and we will not ever have proof positive of the day Christ returns- not until it happens suddenly. We KNOW our Savior will return for us- this is a fact proven way beyond any fiction. And we must WATCH, we must be READY.


Some might say that living day by day with the expectation of Christ returning that day and day by day being disappointed would wear down the most staunch Christian, but it's not true. Day by day expectation if not met becomes one day closer to the day of Christ's return if not the day.


Satan would have us believe we'll never be ready. Satan would have us give up hope. Satan would have us become disappointed. Satan would have us lose our faith because that's exactly what happens when we are not ready - we're faithless.


It's true! Faithless. And we know without faith it's impossible to please Him.


Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.


God is not going to force a single person to have faith, not one.


Our Savior is returning.
Our Savior is offering eternal life with Him.
Our Savior is the bringer of immortality to us.
When is all this happening? Today.


Seriously! I'm not going to be one of those who put a date on my Lord's return, because the day is ALWAYS and FOREVER today, it has to be or we will never, ever be prepared.


Christ is coming today! Such an expectation fills us will joy, doesn't it? Such hope puts all other things in our lives into proper perspective, doesn't it? What cares in our lives really, really, really matter if we fully believe Christ is returning today?


Of course someone will pipe up and say we have to work and take care of things here on earth as if Christ isn't going to come today or we'd be nothing but a bunch of bums on the street. Not true. We can go to work, we can live our lives but we NEED to do so in expectation of our Savior returning, knowing that when it happens that is time enough to stop working and not before. Can you imagine waking up each day and believing today is the today Christ will return and you WANT Him to find you working, ready, watching in all you do, in anything you are doing. With such an attitude there is found great protection from those spiritual darts of Satan. If YOU truly believe that Christ could arrive at any moment wouldn't that give you pause when temptations come along? Shouldn't it give you pause towards presumptuous sinning? It is true that we must depend upon our Savior for salvation and NOT upon our ability to keep from sinning. We must depend upon our SAVIOR'S ability to keep us from sinning, but we have to have faith in Him to do so, a pure, a true living faith in Him and His righteousness. It is our duty...


Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.


It is our duty to do that which is within our ability to do through God. If we are able to resist temptation it's because we have placed our hope and trust in God's ability to keep us from evil, to deliver us from evil not because we suddenly have hope in ourselves to cease sinning. If we are able to keep His commandments which is our duty- it is through His power not through our own power. What we need to do is truly FEAR GOD. We need to truly believe in God and have a living, breathing fear of Him whether that fear is suppose to be a deep reverence or a true fear which reveals an understanding that He is a consuming fire.


Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.


We need to Fear God and out of that fear understand that it is then only possible to keep His commandments. Without that fear of God we have no chance to keep His commandments, none.


So let us be ready always, always watching, always praying!


In our hearts we must believe always-


Jesus is returning for us today! This is the good news, this is the gospel, this is the truth our Savior came to give to us- salvation in Him, today and every day, always.


AMEN.