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 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
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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
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