When
I called my mom in the Philippines this evening, she told me that the
price of the copra (dried coconut kernels from which oil is obtained)
in our town is getting cheaper. As coconut farmers ourselves, we are
worried because the low copra price will affect our income giving us
little money to support our family’s needs. As I heard my mom say
that the copra price is low, I prayed right away in silence that the
price would increase. But, the LORD JESUS answered me and whispered
to my ears that the low copra price is His way of calling the
attention of His people in Mahaplag or the Philippines as a whole to
come to Him, humble down, repent, and change their wicked ways
because He is coming soon.
The
LORD JESUS wants us all to be saved therefore He wants us to prepare
for His second coming and the Judgment Day. So, how do we prepare for
His second coming? The Apostle Paul in the First Epistle of
Thessalonians wrote a letter to the Christians in Thessalonica on how
to prepare for CHRIST’S second coming. First, we should know when
and how the LORD will come. Let me cite you the verse. Here it is, 1
Thessalonians 5: 2-5 say “For
you yourselves know that the Day of the LORD will come as a thief
comes at night. When people say, “Everything is quiet and safe”,
then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as
the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not
escape. But you, friends, are not in darkness, and the Day should not
take you by surprise like a thief. All of you are people who belong
to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or
to the darkness.”
The
Apostle Paul also reminded the Thessalonians on how to prepare for
the LORD’S second coming. Let us ponder on these verses found in 1
Thessalonians 5:6-11 which say, “So
then we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake
and sober. It is at night when people sleep; it is at night when they
get drunk. But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must
wear faith and love as a breastplate and our hope of salvation as a
helmet. God did not choose us to suffer His anger, but to possess
salvation through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who died for us in order
that we might live together with Him, whether we are alive or dead
when He comes. And so encourage one another and help one another,
just as you are now doing.”
As
preparations for the LORD’S second coming, the Apostle Paul
emphasized that we must wear faith and love as breastplate and hope
of salvation as a helmet. What did He mean by that? It means that we
should stand firm in our faith that the LORD JESUS is our One and
Only True Living GOD and SAVIOR and we should completely put our
trust in His’ presence and goodness and live according to His Words
in the Bible. We should also remain steadfast in our love for Him and
our neighbors as He commanded. And, hold on to the hope that when the
LORD comes, we will rise again or be with Him in His kingdom in
heaven where there is no more pain, death, and suffering (Revelation
21:4).
Those
previous verses I have cited above are the Apostle Paul’s reminder
to those who are already believers of CHRIST. However, if you are not
a believer yet, here is what you should do to prepare yourself for
CHRIST’S second coming. First, you should believe that JESUS is our
One and Only True Living GOD, then repent from your sins, accept Him
as your LORD and SAVIOR and make a conscious decision to love,
follow, and obey CHRIST. You can pray this simple sinner’s prayer:
- LORD JESUS, I believe that You are the One and Only True Living GOD. Thank You for loving me, dying on the cross, and rising again on the third day to save me from my sin. Please forgive me from my sins and cleanse me from all my unrighteousness. I repented my sins. LORD, I am now ready to love, follow, and serve You. Please come into my heart and be my LORD and SAVIOR. I love You, LORD. Amen.
After
praying that sinner's prayer sincerely, you should ask a Pastor in
your area for guidance and tell Him you already have accepted CHRIST
as your LORD and SAVIOR. Tell him as well that you want to attend
church service in their church. You should also ask Him for a Bible
and start reading it and attend a Bible study regularly. Also, you
should believe in everything you've read in the Bible for they are
all truth (John 17:17) and obey whatever is written in it. I also
suggest that you hang out with good loving Christians in your new
church so you'll be influenced positively by their good demeanor.
Thank you so much, my dear reader for reading this article. May you
experience the goodness of CHRIST in your life and be prepared for
His second coming. May He find you wholeheartedly serving Him until
the day He comes. I love you with the love of the LORD JESUS. May the
peace and grace of the LORD abound in You. Thank You so much LORD
JESUS for inspiring and guiding me to write this piece. All glorying,
honor, highest praises, and thanksgiving are Yours, LORD. I love You,
LORD. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment