Preparation!

I don't know about you, but I seem to spend most of my time in preparation! I may be preparing a sermon, perparing a service, preparing a diary of events, preparing for a holiday ... it just seems that every day I am preparing for something!

Today, as I write this, I am PREPARING to go to the New Wine summer conference at Shepton Mallet, UK, for a week's gathering with another 14,000 Christians to receive some wholesome teaching and praise God! Now there are two types of preparation I am having to do:- the first is the practical - shopping for various items, packing the caravan, making sure I have enough batteries for those all important electrical items - torches, I-Pod, camera, etc., and then there is the other sort of preparation ... the spiritual one!

Now it is true that you can encounter God without any preparation at all! I am reminded of Moses who was tending to his sheep when he encountered God manifest through the burning bush, but there are some encounters that you do need to prepare for!

In Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus told a parable of ten virgins - five were prepared to meet the bridgegroom, and five were not. When the bridgegroom arrived, those that were prepared went in with him to the wedding banquet. The five that were not prepared missed the opportunity.

This parable talk of Jesus' second coming and that none of us knows when that will be, but we have to be prepared because He could come any moment.

What do we need to do to be prepared? To acknowledge that we have done wrong things against God and others, to say sorry to God, and to turn away from that way of life, and accept the forgiveness and assurance that He freely offers when we do this!

Do you know, it is an incredibly liberating thing to 'get it off your chest' and to confess these things to God. They may be secrets that we have buried from the past, guilt and shame we have carried for years, resentment and bitterness against family, friends or colleagues. When you confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness, a heavy burden is lifted from you! I don't think these words can express the relief and joy that you can experience, but hopefully you will get the idea!

Our God is a loving father, not like some physical fathers we have heard of or know, but one that is always there, always loving, always forgiving and always wanting the best for us, and He wants you to experience His love and joy in your life. Just follow these steps and then follow in Jesus' footsteps and you WILL experience it!

Now contrary to popular belief, I am not perfect and I am still making mistakes, making wrong choices, and I know sometimes I am far less than what God wants me to be, but I know that I can come to Him with my failures and my weaknesses, and He can turn them into His opportunities! Our loving heavenly Father teaches us everyday through His word, the Bible, and through our time with Him and make us better people for His glory.

As I prepare for New Wine, a week out of my normal routine and set aside for God to speak to me, I know that as I prepare myself practically and spiritually, God will draw near to me and change me for the better. I know that when I put Him first in my life, good things happen! He doesn't promise that every day will be a good one, and hard times may come my way, but He DOES promise to be with me every step of the way!

Won't you let Him walk with you today?

God bless!

Pete.