Preparing for Jesus! Part 1

Preparing: to make ready before hand for some purpose, use or activity.

We should be preparing for Jesus before hand as if each day were our last day. When we are expecting house guests, we start getting things prepared in advance. We stay up late at night cleaning, cooking, and doing whatever it takes to get things right for them. My friends, there is one who's coming who's far more important than any other guest. We don't know the day or the hour, so we need to be getting prepared now, because once He gets here, it will be too late.

Remember, He's coming like a thief in the night at a time when we don't expect - that's why we must be ready. We get ready by preparing our hearts, minds and souls every day. Matthew 6:33 gives us a blueprint for getting ready: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." In the Strong's Concordance, the word "seek" means to worship, to desire, to enquire, to require, and to plot and plan purposefully. Let's take a look at these words a little closer.

Worship: the first thing every morning, we should be expressing our thanks to the Lord. We should express to Him how important He is and let Him know how much he means to us. In other words, let Him know that we value Him more than the things we want to do. This worship must come from our hearts, deep within us, if not, then we have missed our first level of seeking. 

Plot and Plan: When we decide that we are going to do something major, we first plan. If we plan to live Holy, we can't change our lifestyle on the spot just because unpleasing situations are upon us. No, we must stay focused. When we are going to work, we don't typically roll out of the bed and go straight to our vehicles. We have a plan of activities - we clean ourselves up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and then we head off to work. We must have a plan when it it comes to serving God as well. We get up earlier so we can worship Him first and recommit each day to serving the Lord that day - no matter what happens. 

Desire: If we didn't have a desire to seek God, how would we ever do it? People can't do this for us on our behalf. We must worship, plan and have a desire for ourselves. We simply wouldn't get very far based on someone else's desire. When the Lord sees our worship, planning and desire for Him, He's going to provide our natural and spiritual desires for us. Sometimes we block our blessings, because we choose not to Worship, Plan or Have a Desire to please the Lord. Don't be THAT person - stop blocking your blessings!

Check back next week as we continue our conversation on preparing for Jesus.

With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!