Gleanings – Someone’s Knocking
Advent 2, December 13, 2012
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, . .”
He is coming again. Do we get it? He will come again to claim that which is his. Are we ready?
A week ago Monday a dear friend had pre-term labor at 34 weeks. She and her husband had to make a 3:00 am trip to the ER. Medically things were probably pretty good. Without diminishing the risk, it’s fair to say medicine is seeing the vast majority of infants safely through a thirty-four week delivery. However, my friends did not have a single bag packed or the all-important car seat installed. If the baby become had come, they would have been scrambling. Fortunately the labor was halted with the hope that this child will not make his way into the world till mid-January.
Of course my friends have a pretty good excuse. 34 weeks is not 40. What would be our excuse if Jesus returned today? We have been told to keep watch, be vigilant! Did we not take him at his word? Too busy building the retirement account? Planning the Christmas party? I am thinking these things may fall on grace-filled but unsympathetic ears.
What could we do to prepare? Verse 12 says readiness is found in believing the truth and taking no pleasure in unrighteousness. Are we believing the truth? How would we know? Answer me this. “Where is the truth altering the way we live?” An inability to cite where the Lord is transforming us should give us pause especially in a season of expectation and preparation.