Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” (Mt 24:42-44)
One of the many problems that we have in this world is theft. We most likely all know at least one individual who has been robbed. Perhaps that person’s house was broken into, perhaps that person was mugged, perhaps that person had an item stolen while out somewhere for business or pleasure. Either way, we know of theft.
It may have happened to us as well.
Whenever someone is robbed, that person usually becomes much more aware of his or her surroundings. The person becomes much more suspicious of people and circumstances. That person might install security devices in his or her home.
In short, that person lives in a constant state of watchfulness.
Jesus likens the need for that same kind of watchfulness to being prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.
Jesus wants His followers to know that He could very well come as that “thief in the night”. When He comes, He wants to find us prepared for Him so that He does not catch us unaware.
It is not so much that Jesus wants us living in fear, however, none of us wants to lose the chance for eternity.
Therefore, be prepared.
Watch.
FAITH ACTION: Ask yourself the time-worn question: “If Jesus were to come for you right now, would you be ready for Him?” Let your answer dictate what you need to do next in order to be most prepared.