I Am Ready

DEVOTION
1 THESSALONIANS
I AM READY

1 Thess 5:20-21
20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
NIV
Another very short verse with an order or command to pay attention to what is coming is the priority here. How else will I know what is coming if I do not pay attention to the prophetic word of God? Surely no man has any idea what the future holds, I sure do not. I cannot tell anything of the future, God can and has therefore if I read the words with care and understanding guided by his Holy Spirit, then I can know what it to come. I think some would say this verse means I should not dismiss the instruction from the word by my pastor. But this is not the case, although I do pay attention to his instruction from the word of God for holy living, this verse is strictly speaking to predictions of future events or past events. Events such as the second coming of my Lord Jesus Christ are the subject here. His coming the first time and his coming the second time are at the center of this verse. I cannot imagine why some people do not believe he is coming back. I suppose they don’t even believe he is God or rose from the dead, or they need to accept him as their savior. How stupid, especially for those who are so intelligent. All you have to do is read it because it is laid out so plain and so simple. The prophecies which foretold his coming to earth are all there. I would imagine this verse speaks to that issue about all those prophecies which are already fulfilled in Christ. If I were like all those others, I would be treating them with contempt. Refusing to accept Christ as God, as the Son of God, as my Lord and Savior would be treating those prophecies with contempt. But it is also plain to see he is coming back for his church. I cannot live as though this is not going to happen. That would be having contempt toward those prophecies. I cannot go on my merry way denying the fact he is coming back. I have to be ready. I have to live as though this event is going to happen any day, even today or maybe tonight. Sure I cannot be perfect, I still struggle with sin, but that does not mean I cannot be ready. I have accepted his grace in my life. I have accepted his forgiveness. I have accepted Gods provision for my salvation and those I am ready. True, I cannot just go on just committing any all sins so his grace will abound even more. I have to make every effort to live a life pleasing to him, which is for sure. I am simply going to fail, for I am not able to be perfect, I am but a man, nevertheless I am ready.