Get Ready to Stand before the Lord  

As I was sitting in a restaurant last weekend, a sudden thought struck me. It was brought on by my observing the freshly-hung strand of lights decorating the wall and listening to the Christmas music playing in the background. What entered my mind was the thought, “I’m not ready for this.” The “this” was the holiday season. I wasn’t thinking about a lack of preparedness regarding shopping, mailing Christmas cards, putting up a tree, and all the other activities we tend to associate with this occasion. I was just thinking of the season in general. It seemed to come too quickly this year. I just hadn’t gotten into the mindset to deal with it all yet. I didn’t feel like I was ready for it.

I know some people who seem to be ready for the next holiday season as soon as the last one is completed. They eagerly put up their decorations early and busy themselves with Christmas shopping well in advance. However, I tend to fall more into the class of people who like to wait until after Thanksgiving before listening to Christmas music or unboxing my nativity scene. Yet here we are. Thanksgiving is behind us now and we are fully into the holiday season. Some occasions are going to come whether or not we are ready for them.

   One of those events that is coming for each of us is the time when we will stand before the Lord to give an account of our time here on earth. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Just this morning I saw an advertisement proclaiming “Christmas is coming!” Likewise, we need to be aware that divine judgment is coming. For most of us it will happen after we keep that appointment with death the scripture refers to. The only ones who will bypass the grave seem to be those believers who will still be alive when Christ gloriously returns. Yet they will also stand before Him to be judged. So either death or Jesus’ return is coming. Are we ready for it?

 How do we feel when we encounter those moments that remind us of the coming judgment? Maybe it comes to the surface when we attend a funeral. Or it nags at the back of our minds as our bodies grow older and weaker, reminding us of our mortality. Or as we see the events taking place in the world round us, we sense that the fulfillment of Jesus’ promised return is getting closer. Or maybe we simply are reminded of this truth as we read our Bibles or hear a sermon. As those thoughts are brought to mind, maybe we feel like “we’re not ready for this.” It may seem like the years have passed by too quickly. Or our world has turned away from God much faster and to a greater degree than we could have imagined. Our time on this earth is drawing to a close and we will soon be standing before a holy God to give an account of ourselves. Are we ready?

The good news is that we can be. If we are trusting Jesus as our Savior, we can be assured that we are not under God’s condemnation. We can come before Him with the knowledge that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. We can approach the throne of God with boldness, knowing that we are at peace with our heavenly Father who loves us.

A day of judgment is coming. If you aren’t ready for it, now is the time to prepare. Put your faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for your sins. Repent, believe, and follow Jesus.