Preparing For … What?

by Steven Harper

As long as time exists – and the earth on which we live – time will pass, the future will become the present, and we will get older. Knowing these things are all true, and that we cannot prevent any of these things from happening, the question we must all ask of ourselves is this: Am I preparing for the inevitable?

Preparation is a constant theme throughout the New Testament; to those who lived in the time of John and Jesus, a message of preparation was directed at them, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). For those listeners, they needed to prepare for the coming kingdom. Jesus would also teach by using some parables that emphasized the need for preparation before the end of all things, such as the parables of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In that same context, he told of the judgment scene where all would be either condemned or rewarded because of what they had done for others while on earth (Matthew 25:31-46), so a serious consideration of the future Judgment was certainly the central message of Jesus here.

The inspired writers who came after Jesus would also emphasize the necessity of preparing. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reminded them of Christ’s coming and the fact no one knows the day and, therefore, a need to be prepared for that inevitable day (I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11); Peter would also note that Christ’s coming, though “delayed,” would certainly come, and at a time when man was not expecting it, and exhorted the brethren, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (II Peter 3:1-14). Paul would heed his own advice to be prepared, so he could say near the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8). That can only honestly be said by one is who is truly and actually prepared.

But the need for preparation should extend beyond just our consideration of the end of all things and the final Judgment; we should be preparing for tomorrow and the near future for ourselves, and for the church of which we are a part. Within the local church, there is work to be done, individuals who need spiritual equipping that they may grow and mature in the faith, souls to be reached with the message of salvation, weary and burdened brothers and sisters who need encouragement, errors to be answered and defeated, and a host of other things that will come or will happen. The question is: Are we prepared for these things now? Will we be prepared when we are needed, and when these things do come?

As with anything spiritual, I first have the responsibility of personal application of the Scripture’s teachings; therefore, when it comes to the matter of preparing for the future, I must begin with myself. I must prepare for my future as a servant of the Lord, as a [potential] father or mother, a [potential] husband or wife, parent or child, as a teacher, as a student, as a potential elder or deacon, and as a member of this congregation. But what will help me to prepare for these things? If I serve in some of these roles and positions, I can make a difference in the spiritual lives of others [good or bad], depending on how I prepare, or how well I prepare – or if I prepare at all.

I Must Make An Honest Self-Examination. As the apostle Paul closed out his second letter to the brethren at Corinth, he charged the brethren there with an important responsibility that would determine how they would receive and apply all that he had delivered to them up to that point, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified” (II Corinthians 13:5). Once they had read or heard all of his divinely-inspired words, they each needed to take an honest look at themselves and see how they measured up. That is good instruction for all disciples today, too!

We should not wait until we are tested and tried by our spiritual enemy before we start looking at self to see where we need improvement, for then it is too late! Now is the time to examine self! Before the trials come, I need to test myself to see where I fall short, where I am weak, or where I could just use some self-improvement. This is not to say I am trying make myself perfect, for it’s too late for that already; the point is, I must always be holding myself up against the standard of God’s word to see how I measure up and when [not “if”] I find that I do not measure up perfectly, it is then that I need to make the necessary corrections. I must remember, too, that the word of God is what is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17), so I must always go to the word of God to measure myself, and to the word of God to make the corrections.

I Must Always Strive To Be Better. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our aim is to come “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” and “grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ” (Ephesians 4:13, 15); since none of us have reached that as yet, we should always be trying our best to be more like Him, and we cannot cease those efforts until time ends. Again, we find that is through a desire for God’s word that we grow (I Peter 2:2), so we must make a study and application of God’s word a regular part of our spiritual lives.

And, lest we think we’ve reached our maximum potential, consider Paul’s encouragement and admonition given to those in Thessalonica. Here were some brethren who had faced opposition and persecution from the very beginning of their faith in Christ (cf. Acts 17:1-9), yet had stood firm in the faith. When Paul wrote the first letter, he praised them for living and conducting themselves properly as the disciples of Christ that they were (I Thessalonians 4:1) and for loving others as they should have, to the point Paul could say, “you have no need for anyone to write to you” (I Thessalonians 4:9); sounds good, right? But Paul did not let them get complacent! Even though he praised them for these things, his exhortation was just as powerful, demanding they “excel still more” in these things (I Thessalonians 4:1, 9 NASB)! Had they reached a high level? Yes. Could they do better and do more? Yes! Such an admonition should cause me to likewise resolve to not “rest on my laurels” and cease striving to become more and more like Christ!

Lord willing, we will all have a future; but if we are so blessed, what are we doing right now to prepare for that future? What am I doing right now to ensure I will be able to use the time God may give me to the best of my abilities in His service? As the old salesman’s adage goes, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Let us not fail in this, brethren! Let’s prepare!