Let’s say, somehow in the world of social media, Jesus were to give us a heads up and let us know that He would kindly be arriving on Earth tomorrow. What would you do?
Perhaps you would be like me, frantically searching my mind for any family members or friends who aren’t saved. I would probably feel pressured for time, and wish that I had brought up the gospel sooner. Maybe I’d call everyone up, fly home, and try to spend some time with my loved ones – or maybe I’d take the time to shout out the message to every living soul I encountered (or maybe a little mix of both).
Many of us have been waiting all of our lives for this single moment, and yet, with the knowledge of when He will come, I feel like I will feel like I haven’t done quite enough. It would force me to re-examine my spiritual life and put into perspective how little I shared the good news with those around me.
It’s hard to admit, but I have to honest – I would be a mess trying to squeeze everything I had planned to do in my lifetime into a single day.
But what’s wrong with this picture? The Bible teaches us to be ready at all times. To have our hearts and minds pointed towards God at all times, regardless of the circumstance. Essentially, live as though at any moment, Jesus will come back to us – and it’s true. We must be prepared, just as Jesus illustrates in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).
All too often, I find that while I believe in the resurrection and the Bible, I don’t live as though Jesus will come to us at any moment. I forget to place God first sometimes, in the flurry of activity in my busy life. Worrying about my future and my present classes, it’s hard to concretely imagine the end of this kind of life as we know it, because we become so focused on what we are doing right now, in this life – we are stuck in our narrow-mindedness and in what we can see directly in front of us.
I want to be at a point where I am ready, at any point of the day, at any time, for Jesus to come down. I want to have the confidence that I am living each moment in my life as though I won’t have another chance to share the gospel or further develop my relationship with God in this world. This is something I am striving for and hope to remember, especially in the midst of the hurricane, impending midterm season, and extracurricular responsibilities: to always live my life ready for God.
So what would you do, if you knew Jesus were coming tomorrow?