Prepare for Tomorrow
The story has been told about a sailor who found himself shipwrecked on a
South Sea Island. He was seized by the natives, hoisted to their shoulders,
carried to their village, and seated on their throne.
Little by little, he learned it was their custom each year to make some man king
for a year. He liked this tradition a lot -- until he began to wonder what had
happened to all the former kings. Soon he discovered that when the king's
one-year kingship ended, he was banished to a nearby barren island, where he
would then starve to death. The sailor didn't like this idea at all, but he was
smart, and decided to enjoy his year as king. Meanwhile, he put his carpenters
to work making boats, his farmers to work transplanting fruit trees to the
island of exile, and other farmers growing crops there, as well as masons
building houses on the island. When his kingship was over, he went not to a
barren island, but to one of abundance.
This story is a parable of life. It teaches us that WE need to live TODAY in
view of TOMORROW, i.e. the "tomorrow" of judgment.
"For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good
or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
On THAT day, humanity will be divided into TWO groups:
1) those who will inherit His eternal kingdom and
2) those who will shall be "punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (Matthew 25:31-46; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Those who will inherit His eternal kingdom are those who have prepared
themselves to receive it! To prepare ourselves, the Scriptures teach that we
must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 16:31), repent of our sins (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed)
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). We live in constant preparation as
we continue to follow God for the rest of our lives (1 John 1:7).
Martin Luther used to say that he had only TWO days on his calendar: TODAY and
"THAT DAY" -- the day when we will meet the Lord in judgment.
Let's live today in the light of that day!
Are YOU prepared for THAT day?
David A. Sargent creekwood@comcast.net