A Ready Heart

Earlier this month, my dad would have celebrated his 73rd birthday. It has been almost nine years since he passed unexpectedly at the age of 64. Back then, I had believed that I would have many more opportunities to wish my father a happy birthday. As I sat the other morning, dwelling on the memories, I drifted to the passage of scripture that I had read just the night before in the book of Exodus. It was the verse about the Lord’s Passover detailing the night that God would lead the Israelites out of Egypt and free them from slavery. I was struck by how that scripture correlates to how ready we should be for the return of our Savior. In Exodus 12:11, God gives instructions as to how they are to eat as He states, “And thus ye shall eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste…” (KJV). In other words, they do not need to be preoccupied or dilly-dallying. They are to eat in a hurry and have their shoes on, ready to get out the door when the time comes. Just as God told the Israelites that He would rescue them from the Egyptians, He has also promised that Jesus would return for His children. And God tells us in His Word that we need to be ready. In Matthew 24:42, Jesus says, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (KJV).

Today, as I remember the sudden end of my dad’s life on this earth, I am reminded that we have no idea how many more seconds are left in our life. Our Savior could return at any moment, and God tells us to be watching and ready. No, we don’t need to scarf down our food or have our shoes on. But we do need to make sure we have a personal relationship with our Lord and have accepted His gift of salvation.