LIVING ON READY “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” 2 Peter 3:11-12
Do you know the story of Harry R. Truman (not to be confused with Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States)? Harry R. Truman was a bootlegger, prospector, and owner/caretaker of Mount Saint Helens Lodge on Spirit Lake near the base of the volcano. He became a folk hero leading up to the eruption of Mount Saint Helen on May 18, 1980, as he was the only resident who refused to heed the news of impending disaster and evacuate. Truman felt that the danger was exaggerated. In one interview, Truman said, “I don't have any idea whether it will blow, but I don't believe it to the point that I'm going to pack up. If the mountain goes, I'm going with it. This area is heavily timbered, Spirit Lake is in between me and the mountain, and the mountain is a mile away. The mountain ain't gonna hurt me. You couldn't pull me out with a mule team. That mountain's part of Truman, and Truman's part of that mountain.” On May 17, officials attempted one final time to persuade Truman to leave, but to no avail. He was determined to stay put along with his sixteen house cats. As history records, the volcano erupted the very next morning. It is estimated that Truman died of heat shock in less than one second before his body was entirely vaporized by the blast. Harry disregarded the many warnings given to him. When the mountain blew on May 18, 1980, there was no more time left to get himself ready. The day of grace was over. He went from making his morning toast to becoming toast—in the blink of an eye. A Lesson For Us Today From our perspective, God seems slow to move, doesn’t He? We want Him to act quickly, but He rarely does. He is patient with rebellious sinners; but His patience is not limitless. Eventually, the dam of God’s mercy gives way to the waters of His wrath. And when judgment comes, there is no time to get ready. One must be ready or suffer the irreparable consequences, just as Harry R. Truman found out on that fateful day in May. Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? For the born-again believer, Christ’s promised return is marked by glory, victory, joy, and vindication. For the unsaved, however, His return is a terrifying future reality. Hebrews 10:31 tells us, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). As we read of The Battle of Armageddon, the coming war described in the book of Revelation, Jesus will descend from heaven to earth to fight the Antichrist and his forces. Although billed as an epic battle between good and evil, the actual combat is concluded in an instant. Jesus simply opens His mouth in judgment, and His enemies are immediately destroyed. The power of His word which spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1) will speak their existence into oblivion. The carnage will be so great that the river of blood will reach to the horses’ bridles and run for a distance of two hundred miles (Revelation 14:20). Taking Peter's Words To Heart Seeing the devastation that is one day going to come, Peter admonishes us as believers to live a life that is sold out to Jesus, walking in the light with Him. We are to remember Lot’s wife as an example of what happens when you try to ride the fence of compromise. She disregarded the command and looked back longingly at the city of sin. That foolish act brought about her death as she was consumed in the fiery judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. May we learn a valuable lesson from her fatal error. Listen, I do not pretend to know whenGod will say enough. No one does. But I do know that day is sure to come. The Lord is “holy, holy, holy.” The rampant sin flooding the streets of America like a broken sewer pipe cannot continue indefinitely. One day, cataclysmic judgment will come to our nation for our blatant rebellion and disregard of God. If God did not spare His ancient people (judgment came to Judah and Jerusalem in 586 BC), He will not spare America. As the model prayer of Matthew 6 reminds us, our Father’s good and perfect will is going to be done on earth sometime in the future. His Kingdom will surely come to our planet. Until that day, may we be found faithful, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Love, | 
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