Ready or Not

This message from Matthew 24 confronts us with an uncomfortable truth: we cannot predict when Christ will return, and our everyday routines can lull us into spiritual drowsiness. Drawing from Jesus' Olivet Discourse, we explore the tension between living ordinary lives while maintaining extraordinary readiness. The comparison to Noah's time is striking—people were eating, drinking, and going about their normal activities, completely unaware of the coming flood. Similarly, Jesus warns that His return will catch many unprepared, not because they lack information, but because they've become spiritually numb through the monotony of routine. The imagery of two people working side by side, one taken and one left, underscores the deeply personal nature of spiritual preparedness. We cannot borrow faithfulness from family members or rely on inherited faith. The message challenges us to examine our own spiritual alertness: Are we merely going through the motions, zoning out like a driver on a familiar road? Or are we cultivating a lifestyle of continuous connection with God through Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and service? The call here is not to anxious speculation about end times, but to faithful, awake living today. Jesus invites us to prepare not out of fear, but with anticipation—His return means everything broken finally becomes whole.