Preparation

Matthew 24:43 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” NLT

Nothing to eat! I had just come home from work on a hot, humid summer day and was trying to make dinner plans. Nothing sounded good, and I was tired. Normally organized, I would at least make a mental plan for dinner earlier in the day so that things wouldn’t take so long once I’d arrived home. But today there was no mental plans happening outside of mortgage escrow, my current profession. There was no meat thawed, my lettuce was wilted, and I was tempted to just order pizza. That had been my go-to before...before I asked Jesus to help me, I thought. I had asked for Him to take control of this area of my life only a week before, and now here I was, considering pizza of all things. 

I had prayed prayers many times before over a pizza dinner. “Lord bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to your service.” It’s laughable now that we pray those kind of prayers. If that’s the food that’s provided, then by all means be thankful for it. But in reality, we somehow spiritualize our bad eating choices and ask God to magically change the molecular structure! That night, there was a first prayer uttered that hasn’t gone unrepeated since. “Lord, please help me resist the temptation for pizza.” In that moment, I’m not kidding, God brought to mind a recipe I had read a few days before, and most of the ingredients were already on hand. I just had to run out to get a couple of things around the corner. 

I was thankful that God had delivered me from the temptation, but inside I was frustrated at myself for the huge struggle that had just occurred in my head. I realized that if I had only prepared ahead of time, the temptation wouldn’t have been so great. Don’t get me wrong; every time I open my mailbox and retrieve pizza coupons, there’s still a struggle there as to whether or not to throw them in the trash can. 

But preparation is truly the key. Every week before I go grocery shopping, I jot down a quick meal list so I at least have a rough plan in mind for things to buy. Having healthy ingredients on hand and readily at my disposal vastly cuts down on resorting to a quick fix in a drive-thru. Personally, every day, I make an eating plan for myself, calculating my nutrition and activity so I know how I’m doing and ensure that I’m able to stand against temptation. I even go so far as to cut up things like cantaloupe and watermelon and put them in a bowl in the refrigerator so they are quickly available when my sweet tooth takes over. I boil a few eggs every few days, peel them, and put them in a plastic baggie in the refrigerator. 

But things happen. Work takes longer than normal that day, traffic is backed-up, or someone gets sick, and we end up having to fill a need quickly. If we have yogurt cups, fruit, and almonds on hand, trust me, we can be ready for anything!

In our text today, we see Jesus speaking about His second coming. He speaks of the time when the Son of Man will come back for His church, and no one knows the time or the hour. The Scripture says that, unexpectedly, He will appear to claim those who have been faithful, and there are those who will be unprepared. Those who have not accepted Him as their Savior and have not lived a life pleasing to Him will be left. The Day of Judgment is coming, and no one knows the day or time. People who spend much time trying to figure out when/where He’s coming are only spinning their wheels and wasting valuable time. We must simply be prepared. That’s all He asks. Trust Him as your Savior and live a life pleasing to Him! Share Him with others so that they may be prepared too. When He comes, we’ll wish we had done more.

Are you prepared? Have you accepted Him as your Savior, or are you thinking that you’ve still got time? The Scripture is clear. “The Son of Man will come when least expected.”


Take some time today to read through Matthew chapters 24-25. He’s coming!

Encouragement for Today:

2 Timothy 2:15 “Work hard so that you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” NLT

Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” NLT

1 Corinthians 2:9b “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” NLT

Ideas for Preparation

1. Search blogs like skinnytaste.com and Pinterest for healthy recipes. Print them off and have them readily available.
2. Chop vegetables ahead of time for recipes so that they come together quickly when you’re ready to prepare.
3. Brown ground turkey/lean ground beef and put in a sealable bowl.
4. Make individual salads ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator.
5. Cut up melons.
6. Make things like chicken salad and tuna salad and store in the refrigerator.
7. Make sure there are healthy snack options waiting in the cupboard before a craving hits.
8. Get rid of everything that is unhealthy in the house. 
9. Boil eggs and peel them.
10. When bananas are going bad, I peel them and freeze them. Frozen bananas work well in smoothies.
11. When I’m grilling chicken, I grill double the amount to have it available for chicken salad and maybe tomorrow night’s dinner.
12. When eating out, check the nutrition facts online beforehand. Make a plan of what you’re going to order before you get there so as not to cave to temptation when faced with a plethora of unhealthy delicacies.
13. When I make a big pot of soup or chili, I freeze half of it in individual freezer bags. That’s portion control at its finest!