I’ve officially been a beekeeper since March, but this last weekend was my first time being stung. I immediately started humming the song ‘My Favorite Things’ where Julie Andrews starts singing about “when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad.”
That pretty little gal got me right at the end of my index finger. And it was my own fault. Up to this point, my girls have been pretty docile and haven’t minded me going into their house. I needed to add a small box to one of the hives because they’ve been so busy making honey. I got bold and went into the hive without my bee suit or gloves because it was supposed to be a quick task.
She wasn’t having any parts of it, and she caught me unprepared.
Scripture tells us that there will come a time when many will be caught unprepared…and it won’t be over a simple bee sting.
The return of Jesus Christ will be a surprise to those who believe in Him, but they will be prepared for this coming. It will be a surprise to those who believe in Him, but may be unprepared for the second coming. And it will certainly be a surprise to those who don’t believe in Him, but thought they had had it figured out or that they had more time.
Yet, each group should be prepared and should be on alert.
In Matthew 24:42-44 (NASB), scriptures states “Therefore be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
For the believer, preparedness means knowing the Word of God.
-Memorize scripture
-Know it well enough to pray it back to God
-Study different versions of the Bible
-Understand apologetics and how to explain God’s Word to others.
Preparedness also means having an active relationship with God and others.
-Active & deliberate prayer life
-Daily study and reading
-Sharing the Gospel with others
-Fellowship in a church and small group
We have no idea when Jesus will return, just like I had no idea when I would first be stung by the bees I’m keeping. As a beekeeper, I have suits, gloves, & smoke to help me be prepared. Likewise, we have the Bible, prayer with God and fellowship with others to assist us with getting prepared.
When the second coming occurs, don’t be unprepared; that would be way worse than getting stung on the tip of your finger by a honeybee.
~Emily
Iron Porch 