But who may endure the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2-3)

Are you ready for the Lord to return? We know the signs indicate that He will be returning very soon, and will gather his bride, the church, to meet Him in the air and take us with Him to heaven. Are you ready for that great and glorious day? What will it take for you to be ready?

Maybe to answer that question we first need to answer this one: How do we respond to the trials and challenges that come into your life? If we understand that our loving Heavenly Father is our refiner, who uses these challenges to refine us for the coming kingdom, we can be assured that our difficulties are not meaningless, senseless accidents of fate, but that it is Jehovah God Almighty that is at work in our lives.

Sometimes the trials we face are so overwhelming that they shake the very foundations of our faith. How do we endure those things? How can we do as the apostle James wrote:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Who can be assured they are ready for the Lord's imminent return? Those who, even in the midst of the worst devastation life has thrown at them, still trust that their loving Father is pufifying them through these things, making them ready for the kingdom He has prepared for us.