"Being Prepared" -2

"For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." (Luke 21:35) If you ever have set a trap for something, then you know how traps work, and that they are designed to catch something by surprise: Gotcha! This is the meaning of the word "snare" in the verse above from Luke; and it includes "all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth"! Last I checked, all means pretty much everyone; which would include you and me! If we look at a corresponding passage in Matthew 24:36-51, we see several different examples that Jesus gives about not being aware of His return. The first that He gives is of Noah, and how those that were on the face of the earth, knew not their fate until the floods came; for up until that time, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; just having a grand-o-time. "So shall the coming of the Son of man be"! Next Jesus gives the example that we are all so familiar with, that two shall be in the field, and one will be taken and one will be left; two women grinding at the mill, and one shall be taken and one will be left. This one must make us take notice, since He is talking about two people being together, one could assume that they are acquainted with each other, and from there, we could also assume that they are friends. However you want to look at their pairing, one was ready, and one was not ready when He returned; which must make us wonder what made them different; could it have been the condition of the heart at the time of His coming? Because it was surely not what they were doing, because they were both doing the same things. But then Jesus said, "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come". (Matthew 24:42) This word "watch" that Jesus uses here means to be properly prepared, not just to be watchful, but to make sure that one's fellowship with God is undistracted and efficacious; which means that our fellowship with God is producing the desired result. Jesus goes on to speak, that if the "goodman of the house" knew the hour the thief would have come, then he would have watched and not suffered his house be broken up. And then He speaks about the wise and the unwise servants; one servant to wise in making use of what the Lord has placed in his hand; while the other servant is wasteful, saying, "My Lord delayeth his coming", smiting his fellow servants and partying on the Lord's provisions. These are all examples of the snares which shall come upon all of us; snares which are meant to make us unaware and unprepared at the time of His coming. Some of us are totally unaware and unconcerned with His coming, just as those that were in the day of Noah. Some are with those that are ready, but yet have not prepared our own hearts for His arrival. Some are feeling safe and secure within their life, as if they are well protected, yet will be caught off guard by not watching for 'the thief in the night'. And yet there are some, who might even be His servants, that shall doubt His coming, being wasteful with both their time and money; even disregarding the love that must be shared with fellow servants, because they have reserved in their hearts that He has delayed His coming. There are many things that have been placed in our lives to distract us from 'watching', but these distractions are only as flashy and meaningful as we make them. However, just as we are but a vapour, that is here today and gone tomorrow, so too are all the things of this world. We must be ready and prepared for His return... "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)