Set Your House In Order

I moved to Orlando, FL 5+ years ago, and been at my job about the same time.  I am in IT and we have different teams to do specific functions.  Some teams have a particular person or persons, whose name seem to be on everyone’s lips.  When I say everyone, I am talking about other technicians, and the people who we are hired to assist.  This can both be good or bad depending on the circumstance.  Take me for instance; I have users who call in, who desire no one to assist them but me.  By the grace of God, this is a good thing.  However there is one lady, who is also known, but she is known for her lack of technical expertise.  For the last 5 years, my colleagues and I had to go behind her work and fix some major issues.  One day, she was called into the office and told that she was about to be released from her job.  Sources said, she made attempts to explain how she is an asset, but to no avail she was let go.

Before I go further I want you to consider this scripture: “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz , went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.”   Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying,  "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,  "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.  "And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." (2Ki 20:1-6)

That woman at my job and Hezekiah had something in common.  Time was not on their side, nor is time on our side.  Time is not guaranteed to us.  There are things we need to make sure are in place, in case time runs out on us.  You see that woman, had 5 years to hone in on her craft to make herself a better technician.  She heard the things that were said about her.  She heard that she is weak in her troubleshooting skills.  When one hears such a talk, what do you do with that information?  She sat there and said oh well who cares.  She sat there and did not consider possibly changing how people view her. Apparently it did not bother her that she was not trusted with major issues. She assumed that things were going to be alright.  So when the time came that she was going to be let go, then and only then did she feel the affect of what it means to not have a job.   She attempted to save her job, but proof was brought before her showing otherwise.  The same behavior she displayed is the same behavior some of us display. Always waiting until the last minute to get things right!   

How long will we falter between obeying God’s word and obeying our own word? When will we get our act together, and just do what God stipulates, rather doing what we feel we want to do? How long will we see examples of people changing their life for the better, while we figure we will change when we’re ready?  The scripture states "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  (Lu 12:40) This means there is a possibility after the conclusion of this message, the Lord may appear.  Have you forgotten the sovereignty of our Lord?  He operates on His time, and not ours, and just because King Hezekiah received a warning, does not mean you will!!!  Time up, game over.

We have been warned about squandering that precious thing known as time.  God warned us by saying “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  (Eph 5:15) The days are surely evil.  The Lord can come at anytime.   Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, or sitting on their lazy behind and watching T.V, people need to be in this word trying to figure if they are meeting the spiritual requirements to make it into heaven.  Instead of clubbing and enjoying the night life, people need to learn how to strengthen their prayers so that God can consider keeping them as a significant part of His will.  Instead of trying to sleep with this girl, or thinking which man they want to sleep with them, people need to study this book so that when they stand before the Lord, He can say well done my good and faithful servant!!! 

Do not sit and live as the people of this world does, indulging in foolish pleasures and desires, but live as those who have been taught to understand heavenly wisdom, and who have been made truly wise.  Let time be your chief commodity.  Gold, silver, house, car, etc. are no more of a concern.  Right now time is of the essence! You do not know when you will be told to set your house in order.  The story of Hezekiah was “he” was told his time was up and “he” was going to lose his life.  To us it could be a different type of loss.  It may not come in the form of death.  It can come in a form of divorce, financial storm, or it can come in the form of us losing our jobs. 

We tend to take God’s mercy and grace for granted.  If this is not so, we would know that our time should be spent preparing.  We would know that preparations precede blessings.  This may have been a hard message, but it is shared out of love, and I pray that it is perceived in that way.  Regardless of your position, one thing is for sure, we all can go at anytime, and only you and God know if you were prepared.  Amen.