Prepare To Meet Thy God
In Matthew 24:42, Jesus tells his disciples to "Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh ...therefore be ye also ready." Paul echoes this thought when he writes, "so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thes. 5:6). And John records the words of Christ in Revelation 22:12, "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is."
These verses, as well as others, remind us of the inevitability of meeting God in judgment. As the song states, "There's a great day coming..." and it seems that the vast majority of humanity is failing to prepare for that day. James warns us that this physical life is too uncertain to go unprepared to meet our Maker (Jas. 4:14). If we wish to have an eternal home with God, we must begin our preparation now.
We cannot begin to make significant preparation to meet God in judgment until we have developed the proper attitude. Solomon points out that our attitude determines what we do or say. In Proverbs he writes, "as a man thinketh within himself, so is he" and "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 23:7; 4:23). Christ also emphasizes this truth when he says, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Mt. 12:24). If our actions are to be pleasing to God, we must set our hearts "to seek the law of Jehovah and to-do it" (Ezra 7:10). Our attitude should be "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth" (1 Sam. 3:10). If we develop within ourselves the desire to serve God, our actions will reflect this desire. We will remain steadfast in our preparation by continuing to learn all we can concerning God's will.
David's attitude motivated him to meditate on God's law day and night (Ps. 1:2). Because of his desire to serve God, the Psalmist exclaimed, "Teach me, 0 Jehovah, the way of thy statutes" (Ps. 119:33). David knew that God's word was the only guide which could prepare him to meet his Creator. The Bereans, in Acts 17:11, were aware of this fact, so they "examined the scriptures daily." Also, Paul instructed Timothy to "give heed to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:13f). All of these men had a desire to serve God. This attitude motivated them to prepare to meet their God.
When we finally meet God in judgment, our attitude will greatly influence the outcome. Countless numbers will be lost because their hearts, or attitudes, are not right. Precious souls will be left outside the marriage feast crying "Lord, Lord, open to us!" (Matt. 25:1f) — they thought they had a little more time. Many, because of a selfish attitude, will be asked "and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?" (Lu. 12:16f) — they desired to serve themselves rather than God. You know what your attitude is — you know whether or not you are striving to serve God to the best of your ability. If your attitude and service to God is not what it should be, remember the words of Amos 4:12 — "Prepare to meet thy God!" Kevan O'Banion