Issue 1625 – Are You Ready? – December 11, 2024
Good morning. It’s December 11th, and only two weeks until Christmas.
Two weeks to Christmas? How did that happen? It snuck up on me. I’m not ready!
Ready or not, it’s coming soon. Are you ready?
The thought that Christmas is only two weeks away instills panic in many people. Some have been ready since January, others by December 1st, and others are mostly ready. A good number of people haven’t even started their Christmas prep.
Something in the fallen human psyche often causes us to want to procrastinate. For example, we all know it’s winter, and the likelihood of a winter car breakdown or getting stuck in traffic for hours is high. Yet, how many of us have any form of emergency gear in the car?
It’s winter, and we know there is a good possibility of power grid failure for days or more. Yet, relatively few people are prepared for even two or three days without power, heat, or water. Even the government recognizes we should all have three days to two weeks of emergency food and water on hand. If the government thinks that things will return to normal in two weeks in the event of a disaster, you know it will most likely take far longer.
We see that played out in every major hurricane, flood, ice storm, and manmade or natural disaster. The government and relief agencies do their best, but more is needed.
We know all that and still fail to prepare. It’s called normalcy bias. One source describes it this way: “Normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a cognitive bias which leads people to disbelieve or minimize threat warnings. Consequently, individuals underestimate the likelihood of a disaster, when it might affect them, and its potential adverse effects. The normalcy bias causes many people to prepare inadequately for natural disasters, market crashes, and calamities caused by human error. About 80% of people reportedly display normalcy bias during a disaster?”
It also plays out in other ways. I know people who know that the Christian faith is the truth, but they aren’t prepared to surrender to Jesus yet. They have some arbitrary date or event in mind that they want to pass before becoming believers.
Millions, perhaps billions of people, have heard the call of the Holy Spirit yet refuse Him, thinking they are somehow immune to the consequences.
Yet the Scriptures clearly state that everyone will hear the truth, and there will be consequences for what one does with that information.
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13
He is coming back to make all things right.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Mark 13:32-37
Not being ready for Christmas might be uncomfortable. Not being ready for Jesus will be disastrous.
Are you prepared?
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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