“Let’s Be Ready”

Many years ago when I taught sciences at Koinonia Academy, I was always looking for something to interest the students. I remember when one of the teachers brought in his pet tarantula spider, named Ignatius…”Iggy” for short. Well Iggy’s favorite dinner was a grasshopper. They would pop Chuck, the uninformed grasshopper, into Iggy’s cage and Chuck would wander around free as a bird, even bumping into Iggy, crawling over him…you could even hear him whistling a little tune….” whistle, whistle, whe…whe…whe. wo…wo. Then at some point, Iggy would attack Chuck …and in a “blink”, Chuck was done…finished…”deader than the proverbial doornail”. (Please note that Chuck was not the grasshopper’s real name…)

Sometimes I think we act a bit like “Chuck”. We go along “happy as a clam”…whistling away, not a care in the world…not realizing that this life is terminal and could end in a “blink”. When we do worry, we worry more about the transient things of this world (cars, houses, bank account, … ) than about eternal life and preparing for that time when we will stand before God in judgement. 

I’m not trying to be morbid or ruin the Christmas season, but it’s really wise for us to pay attention to the most important things in life….like preparing for the next life. It shouldn’t be depressing. Christ told us that the next life will be far better than this one and three things will be absent which will make a huge difference….there will be no more death, or sin and its effects, and the devil won’t be there stirring up “man’s inhumanity to man”. 

That’s why we celebrate Christmas. “For God so loved the world that he sent his only son that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal live.” (John 3:16) It’s such an incredible gift offered to all mankind…no one is left out…but we need to say yes to his offer.

Let’s decide to receive the best gift of all this Christmas. Let’s say yes to the gift of God, the gift of salvation. While it was paid for at a terrific cost, it’s offered free to us. 

May we not act like “Chuck the grasshopper”. Let’s embrace the beautiful babe in the manger who grew up to be Jesus Christ, savior of the world…the Lord  who died on the cross and rose from the dead and will come again one day in glory. And there’s another bonus …. our life on this earth will be filled with the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit….we will know God and be his friend, and that is really very good news.