Outdoor responsibilities wear upon me this evening, Father, but as I have already read tonight’s passage, my mind is alert and ready for whatever You have for me!
Romans 13:11-14 (<<click here to read the passage)
Our lives are full of things for which we must be prepared. Each week I spend several hours readying myself for Sunday’s responsibilities. For this blog post to be ready first thing in the morning, I must set aside time today to work on it and have it all prepared to do so. Last week several days were set aside to work on my bus routes. With school starting next week, all my families must be contacted so they know when to be ready for me to pick their children up.
Another big part of being ready for these things in my life – and you have to ready yourselves for many things as well – is that to prepare myself only partially is not adequate preparation. If I got my sermon put together and neglected to pick out hymns for Sunday’s service would not do. I could write a blog post and even title it, but honestly, if I don’t find a good picture, many won’t even look at it – that’s what grabs peoples’ attention. And what good would it do to only contact half of my families? There would be a whole lot of unhappy parents!
The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote his letter to the believers in Rome, approximately 25 years after Jesus’ resurrection. Verse 11 here reads,
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Get ready! Don’t wait until the last minute! Quickly, get all of your ducks in a row before it’s too late! Time is running out!
Readying ourselves for this world’s demands is important in the here and now, but readying ourselves for eternity is far more important!
So, here’s the part that we struggle with. In this world, there are many things that bring us satisfaction. In their proper place, many of those things are not wrong, or more precisely, sinful. It’s easy to yield – even for believers – because in the back of our heads, we know we will be forgiven for the sins we commit. God continues to forgive. Only at death is that gift no longer available.
Using Paul’s analogy, it’s easy to slip into the dirty clothes of our dark deeds. But doing that puts our preparation on the back burner…yeah, we want to be ready but, why not delve into a little extra-curricular “fun” along the way?
If we are true believers of Jesus we must do as Hebrews 12:1 commands us,
…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
The rest of today’s passage speaks volumes!
Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. vs13-14 NLT
Get your ducks in a row… today!
Aug 28th, 2023, Mon, 8:07 pm
