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Matthew 3:1-3 (NIV)
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
When John the Baptist was preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” it was an urgent message. Believers, that message – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” – is still urgent today.
Matthew 25:1-5 (NIV) states: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”
None of the ten virgins knew how long the wait for the bridegroom would be. And while they all brought lamps, only five of them brought a supply of oil in jars. These virgins had a posture of readiness. Having oil in jars meant that they would be able to trim their lamps and refill it with the oil in their jars so that their lamps would continue to burn brightly.
As believers, we too must maintain a posture of readiness – spiritual readiness for the return of Jesus Christ. How do we get ready? Well, we look to God’s Word and do what the Word commands us to do. For example:
- We should love others.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) states: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - We should have faith in God.
Mark 11:22-23 (NIV) states: “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. - We should obey God.
John 14:15 (NIV) states: “If you love me, keep my commands.
As believers, let us live each day with the awareness that the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven is closer than ever before. Let us live each day knowing that Jesus Christ is coming soon.
Matthew 24:42 (NKJV) states: Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domains.
