I hope that as you read this blog post today that you do not think that I simply took an easy obvious topic and expounded on it. But I guess that is exactly what I have done. In defense of myself I did state well over two years ago when I started these blogs that the beauty of a blog is that I would get to write from my heart. So here is an obvious blog post, in particular for those in certain areas of New England that just came through tropical storm Henri.
From what I learned while watching the news and viewing social media for the past three days it appears that a lot of preparation went into preparing for the above-mentioned tropical storm. I also saw firsthand the results of the preparation as I went into a local grocery store during the storm and observed that there was no bottled water, toilet paper, batteries, or SPAM. People had prepared also by filling up many gas cans in case their generators needed to run during an extended power outage. It appears that people prepared well. As many know the storm changed course ever so slightly and much of Connecticut was spared the worst. In saying that our neighbors in Rhode Island were dealt the heaviest of the storm. Hopefully they had prepared in the same way that I observed here.
With all that I have just written above, what is my point you may be asking. What is the most important event, that is to come, for which we must be prepared? The twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew’s Gospel speak about the “what is to come” and the “preparation for the what is to come.” Christ is returning and Jesus in these chapters addresses how His return will look, the emotional status that we are to maintain as the time draw nears and concludes with parables to lead us and guide us. I have always been drawn to Matthew 24:12 which states, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (NASB). Have you ever wondered who those “most people” are? We are commanded to love God and to love our neighbors. Is Jesus saying that love like that will be gone? If are love grows cold how does verse 13 figure into this discussion? No love equals a lack of salvation? If we are truly saved, we love despite all of the circumstances. If love grows cold, we were never truly saved? Prepare my heart Lord exactly as you desire and cause me to look at You as I work out my salvation and seek to display the fruits that glorify You. I would tend to think that my being prepared involves the fruit as being directed to the loving of others as I love the Lord.
Let us jump ahead into chapter twenty-five and look at the first thirteen verses that give us the parable of the then virgins. Are we sleeping because we think the return is a long way off? Not one of us knows when the return of Jesus will be, but we are called to be prepared as we love God, and we love others. I know that maybe some of you are saying this parable is about preparing ourselves and has nothing to do with others. I suppose we could say then that chapters twenty-four and twenty-five are just randomly dropped here into Matthew’s Gospel. Take a quick look over to 2 Timothy 3:16 and we can thank God for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as the Truth was breathed into the Word of God.
I would encourage each one of you (remember as I write this, I am taking to heart my role before the Lord) to be prepared. In that preparation consider that love is a great motivator. We are loved by the Father, and He desires us to be prepared. How can we help a world in which as Scripture says is full of a cold love by most people (Matthew 24:12)?