If Californians and other Westerners have learned anything these past few years, it is the importance of being ready.
Though high winds create an immediate concern, most residents are already attuned to listening for the sound of fire engines, helicopters, and air tankers, all telltale signs that a fire has broken out somewhere.
In light of this constant threat, two essentials have emerged: the list and the go bag.
The list consists of everything you want to take with you during an evacuation should you have time to pack. The list comes in varying lengths depending on how much time you have. Naturally, everyone’s list is a bit different. I looked over mine and there are some pictures, a computer, some books, and, of course, golf equipment.
The Go Bag, however, is entirely different. It is packed and ready now. It is available at a moment’s notice and includes food and water, personal items, clothing, safety necessities, communication devices, paperwork and cash. The go bag is a survival kit. And if you don’t have time to grab anything else, you can at least grab it.
The now constant threat of fire, and the subsequent need to be ready, has reminded me that all of us need to be ready spiritually. While, we might have some warning as to when a wildfire is coming our way (however small), there is often no warning as to when our time here on earth is over.
“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14).
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25)
Neither do we know when Jesus will return for the second time.
"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).
Both of these undisclosed end dates indicate that our time for decision making is over.
And in these two situations there is no go bag. There is nothing we can take with us that will provide comfort or safety or alter our eternity. Our eternal future is decided by a list: The Book of Life: those individuals listed who have been deemed righteous by God prior to Jesus’s sacrifice, and those who have been made righteous through Christ by accepting his sacrifice and lordship over their lives.
So, if you have not prepared for your eternal future, do so now, for we never know if we will have another day, hour, or minute to decide. We must be ready.
Though high winds create an immediate concern, most residents are already attuned to listening for the sound of fire engines, helicopters, and air tankers, all telltale signs that a fire has broken out somewhere.
In light of this constant threat, two essentials have emerged: the list and the go bag.
The list consists of everything you want to take with you during an evacuation should you have time to pack. The list comes in varying lengths depending on how much time you have. Naturally, everyone’s list is a bit different. I looked over mine and there are some pictures, a computer, some books, and, of course, golf equipment.
The Go Bag, however, is entirely different. It is packed and ready now. It is available at a moment’s notice and includes food and water, personal items, clothing, safety necessities, communication devices, paperwork and cash. The go bag is a survival kit. And if you don’t have time to grab anything else, you can at least grab it.
The now constant threat of fire, and the subsequent need to be ready, has reminded me that all of us need to be ready spiritually. While, we might have some warning as to when a wildfire is coming our way (however small), there is often no warning as to when our time here on earth is over.
“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14).
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25)
Neither do we know when Jesus will return for the second time.
"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).
Both of these undisclosed end dates indicate that our time for decision making is over.
And in these two situations there is no go bag. There is nothing we can take with us that will provide comfort or safety or alter our eternity. Our eternal future is decided by a list: The Book of Life: those individuals listed who have been deemed righteous by God prior to Jesus’s sacrifice, and those who have been made righteous through Christ by accepting his sacrifice and lordship over their lives.
So, if you have not prepared for your eternal future, do so now, for we never know if we will have another day, hour, or minute to decide. We must be ready.
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