I think of how Jesus says,
"'Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'" (Matthew 24:44, Luke 12:40)
So, what does Jesus mean by "ready"? I have some things; you are welcome to share, here, too.
One thing I get is that if you are packing for a trip, you have with you the things you will need when you go on the journey. Like this, we need to have in us now what we will have in the Rapture, and be growing in this . . . now.
In the Rapture we will be loving and appreciating and glorying in Jesus our Groom, and we will be sharing in His way of loving with one another. So, we need to be growing this in us now . . . all which we hope to have in the Rapture.
"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)
This scripture in Peter to me means how we need to become in our nature spiritual so we are by nature pleasing to our Father. So, this is something I did not mention, above > how in the Rapture we will be pleasing to God the way Jesus makes us pleasing in His love's "incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
So, possibly I have left something else out. You are welcome to help us with more. God bless you and thank you
By the way, just yesterday I got blessed with something about being ready. In our everyday lives, we need to always be ready for love. Even while we go through things, stay ready for love; do not allow wrong and rotten people and hard and awful things to have power over us to keep us away from love.
"I will not be brought under the power of any," our Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12. I see this can help us in dealing with any impossible person or nice person or problem or pleasure. No hard or nice thing should have us under its power; or else people controlling a hard or a nicer thing can have control of us. If we stay with God, no one can use things to draw us or knock us or charm us or smash us away from God!!!!
"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)
So, we need our connection to first be with God (1 Corinthians 6:17), and all else is subject to God and us with God. And God will create ways of loving, in any circumstance. People and things can act nicer in order to charm us and make us soft and weak so we can suffer later. And, of course, harder things can try to harm us and keep us weak and suffering.
Whether Satan's strategy is charm or harm - - either way, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," Jesus our Groom says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-15.
I think grace, here, does include God's favor in circumstances around us, but grace also is how God in us effects us with real correction (Hebrews 12:4-11) and His love's perfection of our character, more and more, plus His grace includes His personal guiding (Proverbs 3:5-6, Colossians 3:15) so creative and caring in sharing with Him > 1 John 4:17-18. And this grace in us has us packed with all we need for our Rapture with Jesus our Groom . . . always ready for love, now, and for Rapture anytime
"'Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'" (Matthew 24:44, Luke 12:40)
So, what does Jesus mean by "ready"? I have some things; you are welcome to share, here, too.
One thing I get is that if you are packing for a trip, you have with you the things you will need when you go on the journey. Like this, we need to have in us now what we will have in the Rapture, and be growing in this . . . now.
In the Rapture we will be loving and appreciating and glorying in Jesus our Groom, and we will be sharing in His way of loving with one another. So, we need to be growing this in us now . . . all which we hope to have in the Rapture.
"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)
This scripture in Peter to me means how we need to become in our nature spiritual so we are by nature pleasing to our Father. So, this is something I did not mention, above > how in the Rapture we will be pleasing to God the way Jesus makes us pleasing in His love's "incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
So, possibly I have left something else out. You are welcome to help us with more. God bless you and thank you
By the way, just yesterday I got blessed with something about being ready. In our everyday lives, we need to always be ready for love. Even while we go through things, stay ready for love; do not allow wrong and rotten people and hard and awful things to have power over us to keep us away from love.
"I will not be brought under the power of any," our Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12. I see this can help us in dealing with any impossible person or nice person or problem or pleasure. No hard or nice thing should have us under its power; or else people controlling a hard or a nicer thing can have control of us. If we stay with God, no one can use things to draw us or knock us or charm us or smash us away from God!!!!
"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)
So, we need our connection to first be with God (1 Corinthians 6:17), and all else is subject to God and us with God. And God will create ways of loving, in any circumstance. People and things can act nicer in order to charm us and make us soft and weak so we can suffer later. And, of course, harder things can try to harm us and keep us weak and suffering.
Whether Satan's strategy is charm or harm - - either way, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," Jesus our Groom says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-15.
I think grace, here, does include God's favor in circumstances around us, but grace also is how God in us effects us with real correction (Hebrews 12:4-11) and His love's perfection of our character, more and more, plus His grace includes His personal guiding (Proverbs 3:5-6, Colossians 3:15) so creative and caring in sharing with Him > 1 John 4:17-18. And this grace in us has us packed with all we need for our Rapture with Jesus our Groom . . . always ready for love, now, and for Rapture anytime
