“Jenny, time to get ready. We’ll be leaving soon.”

The seven-year-old looked up at her mother. “Okay, mom.” And then she went back to reading the book she held.

Mom left the room to make her own preparations. The room was quiet. Jenny kept reading.

Ten minutes later, Rodney, her older brother, poked his head into her room. “Jenny, didn’t you hear? We will be leaving soon. You need to get ready.”

“I am,” she replied without looking up.

“No, you’re not.” Rodney pointed at her. “You haven’t changed your clothes or put on your socks and shoes. You’re not ready.”

“I have my travel bag packed. It will just take a second to change clothes.” Jenny muttered. “I have time.”

Shaking his head, Rodney left to make his own preparations.

Minutes later Jenny’s little sister came into the room. Going to her bed, she pulled her shoes out from under it and began to put them on.  “Jenny,” she said. “Mommy says be ready. Why aren’t you getting dressed?”

“Just a minute. I’m almost finished with this chapter. Then I’ll get dressed.” Jenny continued reading, and didn’t notice when her sister left the room.

From time to time her mother’s voice would softly drift into the room. “Jenny, are you ready?” Each time, Jenny pushed it to the side. She would get ready, just not at this moment. She really wanted to get to the end of the chapter. Finally, she got to the last page and closed the book. This had been one of the longest chapters she had ever read.

Just as she put the book down, her mother came into the room. “I’m leaving now. I see you are not ready. You will have to stay here with dad.”

“Wait!” Jenny called out. “I want to go with you!”

“But you’re not ready.”

“It will only take a minute. You didn’t give me enough time.”

“Sorry, you had as much time as the others. You chose to wait. You chose to do something else instead of what I asked you. It’s too late now.” Mother smiled sadly, and then left the room.

Jenny sat on her bed, devastated. Why did her mother appear so suddenly and tell her it was too late? All she needed was a few more minutes. It wasn’t fair.

Have you ever thought about God’s longsuffering? About how He gives us a long, long time to respond to Him? He has been calling people to Him for centuries. He’s been warning us for two thousand years to be ready for His return, but since He hasn’t returned yet, some people may think He has forgotten us. We may think it will be centuries more before He comes.  We may take for granted that when He comes, we will have time to put on our shoes and go with Him.

He has warned us numerous times to be ready at all times. What does that mean in our day-to-day lives? At one point early in my life, I thought it meant to have no future plans. His return was imminent so why work for a future that wouldn’t happen? But then, when he didn’t return, I was forced to consider my future. I went to college, began a career, got married, had kids – and slowly my focus was less on Jesus and more on my life. If He had returned in those years, would I have been prepared?

I feel burdened that God’s people are sleepwalking though life. They may go to church, participate in a Bible study, give to the needy, and love their families. They may profess to love God and want to be with Him forever. But their lives show a different story. They continue to live by the world’s standards, follow their own dreams and goals, and get offended easily by the behavior of other people. They compromise what the Bible says to make their lives easier and more pleasant. They pray and seek Him – until they are distracted. And then they go about their lives keeping Him in their peripheral vision – enough to know He’s there but their time and focus is on themselves – their wants, desires, goals, dreams, chores, plans, family, hobbies, entertainment, friendships…. They don’t reject Him. They just kind of put Him to the side. Like I did in my earlier years.

How does the Bible describe what being awake looks like?

According to Romans 13:11-14, we are to cast off the works of darkness. This includes not just the more obvious ones like immorality and drunkenness, but also the ones we tend to justify such as dishonesty (white lies), quarreling and jealousy. We are also to put on the armor of Light. This means to “wear” Jesus everywhere we go. We let His light shine into every situation, guiding our actions and reactions and bringing hope to others. And we are to make no provision to gratify the desires of our flesh but instead our focus should be on spiritual matters.

One day Jesus will come just like He said He would. And it will feel “suddenly” just like He warned. Are we ready if He comes this year? This month? This day? This hour? What if He’s here in our next breath?

Will He find us awake and prepared? Will He find us using our talents for Him? Will He find us treating each other well? Will He find our hearts totally devoted to Him and our lives revolving around Him?

Or will He find us distracted and sleepy, easily deceived by the enemy, neglecting our talents, and focused more on ourselves and on the world than on Him?

God is waking up His people. Let us respond quickly and eagerly. Let us encourage those still sleeping to wake up. He loves us and gave up everything for us. Let us do no less than to love Him fervently and put Him first in every part of our lives, replacing procrastination with wholeheartedly obedience to His Word.

Let us put down our books and get dressed before it’s too late.

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Scriptures:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. ’Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ’But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

 “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.  Revelation 3:1b-3

 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16

(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) Revelation 16:15

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:11-14

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

The Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be 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, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:36-51