Are you ready?
“The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels…32
All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats…34
“Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made … 41 “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:31-41 ( NCV). There’s much talk about natural disasters and solar eclipses, and many are speculating about Christ’s return. Nobody knows the day, but one day Jesus will return and not everyone will be saved. Many of our friends and family won’t make it in their current state. This should give us a sense of urgency to share the truth of salvation with as many persons as we can, as quickly as we can.
Christians are God’s A-team for the salvation of those He’s put around us. Statistics indicate that 75.9 per cent of the time, we’re more able to reach our friends than any other method that can be employed. We’re God’s secret weapon to reach those around us.
As Christians, we live in the light of Christ and our lives should reflect that. We’re called to live in a manner worthy of our calling. Our daily decisions should be tested against God’s Word and when there’s a gap we must close it. We must want God to be pleased with how we conduct our lives as its proof of our salvation.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT).
We must also be careful to focus and not waver. Whatever gets us off course in life such as certain friendships, entertainment choices, emotional issues, or plain bad habits, must be corrected. Whatever obstacles are in the way and preventing us from living a life that represents Christ, must go. In Christ, we are new creations and are no longer dead in our transgressions. We must leave the past behind and throw off whatever hinders us from living for Christ. It may seem obvious, but we must put God first and give Him our all. Modern living can make us myopic and put us in survival mode. In that mode, ‘I’ am first, but it’s God who must be first. Our priorities, schedule and cheque book should reflect our desire to put God first in our lives.
Finally, we need to be heavenly minded though we’re still here on earth. What we do here matters, so we must pursue the eternal while doing earthly good. Part of this is reaching others with the gospel. Christ wants to live His life through us and continue to reach the lost. Enlist in the army and reach those God has placed in your sphere of influence. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Galatians 2:20-21 (NIV)