“We had dinner last night with one of the neighbors,” Stan began. “They are fairly new to the neighborhood and they invited us over to get acquainted.”
“Have a nice time?” I asked.
“We did,” Stan replied, “and I learned a great deal about them in a short amount of time.”
“How so?”
“During dinner we were talking about all of the things that are going on in the world with illness, wars, famines, civil unrest, and all of the stuff that can cause a lot of concern.”
“There’s a ton of it,” I replied. “Pretty uncertain times.”
“You’re right, my friend,” Stan said, “and what was really interesting to me is what my neighbor showed me.”
“What was that?”
“After we finished diner and before we had dessert,” Stan replied, “the husband took me down into the basement and showed me an amazing amount of things he had stored there. He had shelves and containers all over the place with food, water, protective clothing, paper products, batteries, and just about every other thing you could imagine to be holed up for a long time.”
Continuing, he said, “My neighbor indicated that he thought they were prepared for anything that might come their way.”
“A real survivalist,” I responded.
“Yeah, seems like it,” Stan said. “And I was really pleased with his answer when I asked him if he thought they were prepared for the only thing that really matters.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Being prepared to step into eternity,” Stan replied. “I wasn’t certain where they might be in that regard, so I asked him if he thought they were prepared for everything.”
Continuing, he added, “The neighbor knew right where I was going with the question, and indicated that he and their whole family were fully prepared to step into eternity when the time came. They had all accepted the finished work of Christ on the cross and knew, beyond a doubt, where they were headed.”
“Prepared for both sides of eternity,” I responded. “Good planning!”
“Amen, brother,” Stan replied. “And be sure the preparation is in the right order. First things first.”
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Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. John 14: 1, 2.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you have prepared everything for me on both sides of eternity. Thank you for the assurance of spending eternity with you when it’s time. Thank you, too, for the opportunity to know you on this side of eternity through the leading and help of the Holy Spirit. Please lead me in helping others to be prepared in the ways you want so that they, too, are prepared to step into eternity to be with you. May they also be prepared to know you as deeply as possible on this side of eternity. Please help me in keeping the proper focus and perspective in being prepared only in the way you intend. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Are you prepared to step into eternity to be with God forever? If not, why? Do you know how to do that by accepting God’s free and gracious gift of salvation? Being prepared for that step into eternity is the most important thing you can do on this side of eternity. Do you agree with that? Why or why not? Once that has been settled, you can take the steps to be prepared for this side of eternity. Are you prepared for whatever might come your way? What does that preparation look like?
Waiting for the Train 