Now concerning that day and hour no one knows-neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son-except the Father only. As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.  For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.  They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. Then two men will be working in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.

Therefore, be alert since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.

This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.   Matthew 24:36-44 HCSB

Last night, I went to sleep fully expecting Hurricane Barry to make landfall somewhere between 2am-5am.  I awakened around 5am with no rain, no wind, and with electricity.  The main thing that is being predicted from this storm is a massive amount of rainfall, which may produce flooding. But as I write this, nothing, we are waiting.  Seems Barry is taking his sweet time. But one thing is for sure, the weather forecasters are taking their best guess based on science. God is in control.  Only God knows exactly when and where this storm will go and how strong it will be. And truthfully, I wish a forecaster would just say, nobody knows.  Only God knows, but this is what we think might happen. Because the truth of the matter with the storm and all weather situations is nobody knows. God controls these things and only He knows how they are going to go, right?

Now, forecasters were talking about this storm for days, so we knew it was coming.  We were given time to prepare.  There are things we do to prepare for storms. If we didn’t prepare before, any of us who remember Hurricane Katrina know that we need to be prepared for days without electricity.  We know that we need to have bottled water, emergency candles, gas to operate generators and gas in our cars.

Last night, I tuned in for just a minute to one of our local channels.  Of course, a bad situation is good for a news report.  Reporters and weather forecasters seem to love a good tragedy, the worse the better for them. I get that they want us to be prepared for the worst case scenario, but it seems to be their job to offer little or no hope.

Now, there is another tragedy coming that we can also be prepared for.  The tragedy that I’m talking about is our physical death or the rapture. We know that one of these will bring us to the Great White Throne of Judgment.  We will make it there one way or another, there is no way to avoid that.  But, we can be prepared for it.  If we are unprepared, it is truly a tragedy.  If we are prepared for that day, then it is the best thing that will ever happen to us.

Yesterday gas stations had lines of people waiting to get to the pumps. Some local stations even sold out of gas. Stores were filled with people buying emergency supplies.  People were preparing for the worst case scenario.

What about you? Are you preparing for the best case scenario? The best case scenario for us is to have our names found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:11-15).  The best case scenario is to be told, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  The only alternative is to be thrown into the lake of fire and spend eternity in torment.

So, I ask you today, are you prepared? I’m not talking about the hurricane, I’m talking about forever.  Do you know where you will be spending eternity? If not, there is no better time than the present to be sure that you are sure. I encourage you to secure your reservation.  Be sure that you are in the Book.

Turn to God and trust in Him.  Be ready for whatever comes your way.  We prepare for so many things.  We prepare for weddings, funerals, the birth of a child, a new job, storms, but are you prepared for the most important event of your life?  I hope so.

Trust in God today.  Turn to Him and obey His commands. Be 100% sure that you are ready. Nobody knows when we will be called to the Great White Throne of Judgment, but we do know that we will certainly face judgment.  We know that we will answer for every word that has spewed from out mouth.  We will answer for every deed, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We do know this, so we must be prepared for that.  Prepare for the best case scenario. Ask God to fill your heart with His Holy Spirit and help you to do what is pleasing in His sight, so that you will be well prepared when that day comes.

Have a great weekend!