Are Your Ready...?

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Revelation 22:12-13

We do not know the end of our days upon this earth; however we do know that there is a (n) end coming… It is indeed my hope to see my children and children’s children, but the truth of the matter is that my life could come to an end before the sunsets tonight… Often times we don’t want to think or even talk about this truth, but we are reminded that we each day we see on this earth is one we will never see again and there will be a day that others will see and we will not… Keeping this true possible outcome in mind, I find comfort in knowing that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and therefore I do not fear death… There is victory in physical death as we are assured in the closing chapter of the bible that our savior declares “I will come quickly and my reward is with me…”  You may not see the fruits of your labor on this earth, but as a child of God you can rest assured that your service in the name of the Lord will not be in vain… This passage reminds me of a familiar quote “live life to the fullest”; however, a question now comes to mind in regard to this statement which is simply how do you live life to the fullest? Does it mean that we party our life away and spend time with our friends on this earth or can we live life to fullest by getting to know Christ and accepting the path that He has paved uniquely for us…? Today, I challenge you to live life to the fullest by accomplishing all that the Lord has for your hands to do… I know you ever heard the phrases “tomorrow is never promised” or “don’t wait until tomorrow?” The question that I pose to you today is do you truly believe them? As a child of God we are to live everyday of our lives as if it’s our last, we are to let the light that God has placed within us shine for all mankind to see… Sadly, the reality is that we constantly place God on the backburner of our lives, we place value on other things and people, but today we are reminded that we must “seize the moment because God indeed is coming quickly…” Believe it or not, but everyday of our lives that passes by, every second that flashes before our eyes is another opportunity that we can take a step closer to Christ or stray away… The book of revelations tells of the coming things that will happen upon this earth and today Jesus writes to us telling us that His return is closer than we may believe… Any stone that you have left unturned, turn it over, any job that you have put off, complete it, and any wrongs that you have done should be resolved. Too often we just assume that I can do this later, or I can go see this person tomorrow, when Jesus has always instructed us to live a complete life every day. Not only does Jesus make it known that His return is coming, but He says “my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be…” If Jesus was to return to earth today, what would your reward be? If God called you from this earth today, where would you spend eternity? These are the questions that I try to ask myself every morning, I don’t want to allow the sun to go down on my life and I not be ready… Your reward (whether good or bad) will be given unto you when Christ returns… 

God isn’t worried about the material wealth you store up; He is worried about what you’ve done on this earth to exalt His kingdom and others… It’s not the car you drive, but how many rides you gave, it’s not the money you have, but how many mouths you helped feed… You won’t be able to say I didn’t think you were coming now, it won’t be enough to say give me another chance, your reward will be based off of the life you live on this earth and how much you devote to the calling that God has for you… Understanding that Christ is coming back reminds me to not get, but “keep” my house in order… When people recited this scripture the often try to use it as a scare tactic… These verses taken from Revelations have often been uttered to convict or frighten a person about their walk on this earth, but in reality this should be an encouraging message for the Christian church… Yes we know that one day this life will be over and Jesus is encouraging us to know that even though we experience hardships our “reward” that He will bring with Him will outmatch the hardships that we have and will face… Knowing He comes quickly tells me that in the blink of an eye my troubles will be no more, my pains will be removed and temptations will cease… We all have been dealing with different trials and tribulations, different obstacles and struggles and for your perseverance Jesus offers these words; behold I come quickly and my reward is with me! Jesus says your struggles will end soon, your breakthrough is on the horizon and your reward is at hand… Paul said I have fought the good fight, therefore there is a crown laid up for me! You have a crown because of your perseverance, you have a reward for you diligence, and you will enter in because of your faith. Remember He is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last… He has everything you stand in need of and your Christian journey will bless you with abundant satisfaction if you hold to his unchanging hand! When Jesus returns there will be no more weeping, when Jesus returns there will be no more sickness, when Jesus returns there will be no more dying, no more sin, no more heartache…. BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY encourages me because there will be eternal rest, there will be peace, there will be love and we will one day walk the streets of gold…. These verses speak to two kinds of people in this earth… If you aren’t doing the will of God than you dread the day of Christ return, but if you are His child you embrace it with open arms and say come Lord come!

BE BLESSED!!!