Be Prepared to Meet Jesus

I have something of a reputation for being unconventional. (A bit of coaching my children have taken to the nth degree!) So, I am, during this season of Lent, doing a 31 Day Scripture Writing Plan -- for December. Days Three and Four were writings in Isaiah 11, a chapter rife with prophecy fulfilled and prophecy yet to be realized. The fulfillment of prophecy is God's guarantee that those things which have yet to come to fruition, will; so these Scriptures just ooze hope! Just look at verses 6-10:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;And a little child shall lead them.The cow and the bear shall graze;Their young ones shall lie down together;And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LordAs the waters cover the sea.“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,Who shall stand as a banner to the people;For the Gentiles shall seek Him,And His resting place shall be glorious.”

What a glorious promise of peace, and restoration to the way God designed this earth to be -- for all mankind! The knowledge of God's goodness, justice, provision, peace, and grace spread throughout the entire world! A Prince and Champion for the people of God! Wow, hard to imagine! And who wouldn't anxiously anticipate such a day?!

Me.

I don't anxiously anticipate that day; I don't want to imagine it. My anticipation is marred by the fact I have not, I do not evangelize the way I should. My work here is not finished, I know, but I do not seize every opportunity I am given to proclaim Jesus to others. Though the door may be wide open, my mouth remains shut to those who do not know Him. Coworkers have not come to know Jesus -- or even reject Him -- because they have not heard from me. My biological family and my spiritual family are not one in the same, in part, because some have never heard the Gospel from my lips! I cannot look forward to an eternity of peace, beauty, grace, God's presence when I know I have not done what was required of me with regard to those who have spent hours talking to me, years learning from me, countless moments sharing my table or riding beside me. The words, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus," become stuck in my throat when I see the lives of those I profess to love and care for as opportunities I neglected.

I know Jesus dies to save them. I know it is their choice. But telling them is my responsibility. We all have our own personalities, and faith walks, and thoughts about sharing the Gospel; but it is God's plan that I must follow, and He has given me far more opportunities than I have taken. So, while I may not be the one offering prayer to everyone I meet, or the person who peppers their path with tracts, God demands I do something. Maybe even something that fits my unconventional personality.

So, allow me to go on record as saying, I want to joyfully anticipate that day, knowing I have done all I could and took advantage of every opportunity I was given to proclaim Jesus. I have laid it all out honestly before the Lord; I have prayed for boldness, and eyes with which to see open doors. I have no right to dread any goodness my Heavenly Father bestows; and I have no right -- for any reason -- to keep something He has freely given, to myself!