Getting Ready to Receive the Lord

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  It is written in Isaiah the prophet:  "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" - "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "  -Mark 1:1-3 

As we approach the mid-term election it seems that all we hear about on the news are ads for those running for office.  These politicians are traveling all across the country and each one is trying to secure our votes.  Anytime a politician comes to town there is a great deal of preparation.  There are ads on TV, radio, we get those irritating recorded phone messages, and the media gets in a frenzy.  Along with all of this is the security measures which must be taken for each candidate.  The preparation involved for a candidate to come to any of our towns or cities is truly amazing.  

Consider that when Jesus Christ came into the world there was a great preacher by the name of John the Baptist who was seeking to prepare people for the Lord’s coming. John’s entire ministry was that of preparation; getting the people prepared to receive Christ when He made His appearance.  No doubt John did indeed feel like that “voice crying in the wilderness.” He was proclaiming a message to people who seemed to have anything on their minds except preparing their hearts to receive Christ.  That situation has not changed that much today.  Everywhere I go, I encounter people whose focus is on anything but seeking a relationship with the Lord.  They are so caught up in their lives that any concern about getting right with God is pushed to the back of their thinking. 

The Word of God challenges us to seek the Lord, get right with Him, and to prepare our hearts to receive Him.  Let us be ready to receive Christ into our hearts, but let us also be ready for the coming of the Lord – whenever that may be.  If we are too busy to pray, too busy to open the Word, and too busy to come to church and worship, then folks, we are too busy.

Where are our priorities?  If we place Christ first in our lives, everything else will line up in its proper place, just as Jesus said (Matthew 6:33).  Stop today and pray, spend time in God’s Word, and walk forward in faith seeking a closer walk Christ.  We are blessed when we seek the Lord every day and put Him first. 

Christ is calling us today.  Be ready, be prepared, and receive Him joyfully.