Will You Be Ready?

August 31, 2020

By Matt Yamamoto, Director of High School Ministry

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time...’” (Matthew 24:45-48)

With COVID and social distancing stretching into its sixth month and the death toll rising around the world, I have noticed that talk of the end times has been popping up here and there, some jokingly and some more seriously. It’s hard not to ponder such things when we are looking at planetwide turmoil.

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the book of Revelation. The angels, the demons, the calamity, the anti-Christ, the apocalypse, and the Second Coming all fueled my overactive imagination as a young boy. I honestly did not think I would reach adulthood because I was convinced that Jesus was going to reestablish His Kingdom before I turned twenty.

I look back on it now, and I can’t help but chuckle at myself. I would read these chapters because I wanted to be able to recognize the signs and selfishly prepare myself for the coming disasters. As I have grown older and matured in my faith, I’ve come to understand that it is not about me, but we are all called to put the needs and concerns of others above our own.

I have no idea whether or not we are in the end times. We probably aren’t, but as I read the passage above, I can’t help but wonder what if Jesus DID come all of a sudden? What would He find me doing? Would He find me being obedient and doing His will, or will He find me complacent about it because I feel like I have all the time in the world?

With COVID in full swing, there is no shortage of good that we can do in the world. My challenge to us all is to treat this time like we are expecting Jesus to come back at any second, taking advantage of whatever time we have to do His good work in the world and spread His good Name and love to everyone. My hope is that when we meet God, whether in this world (during the end times) or when we meet Him in heaven, that God would greet us, “Well done, faithful and wise servants.”

Prayer: Dear God, please help us to make use of our time wisely––to pray and read the Bible regularly, and also to live out our faith every day so people see You in us. We want to be confident and ready for that time when we’ll finally see You face-to-face. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen. 

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