Prepare And Verify

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

My dad honestly tried his best to ensure I did the things necessary in my younger days to be ready for the days when I got older. I wish I had listened and more seriously took his advice to heart.

When I got my first job at the age of 16-and-a-half years old my dad said to me, "Start a savings account and put as much money as you can in there so when you retire you'll have something to live on." I did what all teenagers did when their parents gave them sound advice and rolled my eyes while thinking, "Retirement is 100 years away."

Well, retirement isn't so far away anymore, and if I had done what he said I would honestly have a retirement account I could depend on, instead of draw out of. 

As I look back on my younger days I really didn't have enough of a good reason to save the money. I was young, I was living on my own and doing well, I got married and lived well. I remarried and did well. I always had a job that provided for the things my family and I needed. 

If you are under the age of 30 and read this, please listen to the next words carefully. Now that I'm over the age of 50 and reaching the age of retirement (even though it's still 100 years away) I find that preparing for the future of my family is much more important than living a life filled with daily comforts. 

Jeremiah listened. He heard the voice of God tell him to prepare for the day when Jerusalem will return and to prepare in such a way that there would be no mistake as to how that preparation was being done. By buying that piece of land with as many witnesses as he did, Jeremiah ensured beyond any doubt that the future of the people of Israel would be guaranteed.

Our thought for today, then, is if we are as prepared as we should be. Whether the preparations are for a new job, or a new home in a new city, whether the preparations are for a new child in the family or taking care of an elder, whether the preparations are for you or your loved ones one thing is clear: God asks us to prepare and will be there to help our preparations come to fruition.

God calls us to be the caretakers of future generations. Let's listen to that call.