Be Ready

Introduction

Some professions have a straightforward job. A plumber goes to work each day with a plumbing project to work on or fix. A house framer goes to work each day and constructs the frame of a house or other structure. Teachers prepare lessons and head to work to present and teach them. While all jobs have some element of surprise that can come up which requires experience and preparedness in order to succeed, many jobs are task or goal oriented. Other jobs, however, look very different from day to day. A firefighter’s ultimate job is to extinguish fires. But fires aren’t planned—they are the results of accidents. Thus, a firefighter might go to work for days at a time and not actually have to put out any fires. So, what does he do? He prepares. He ensures his gear is ready; he exercises to stay in shape; he trains. He remains vigilant and ready so that when he is called upon, he can successfully respond to emergencies.

In many ways, the Christian life is like that of the firefighter. What does the average day for a Christian look like? Well, that’s hard to define. Each of our days probably look very different. There isn’t a set checklist that each of us go through to fulfill our walk with Christ. We don’t typically know exactly what temptations we will face, trials we will undergo, or opportunities we may find on any given day. Thus, a large part of following Christ involves preparing ourselves for whatever might come. Yes, we are Christians—but are we ready to live the Cristian life? Are we prepared and ready to meet the challenges and opportunities we might encounter? And what are the challenges and opportunities we should be ready for?

Be Ready to Overcome Temptation

What temptations will you face today; this week; this month?

We all have particular struggles that we might know will tempt us (Envy; anger; lust; pride)

We all will also face unexpected temptations—situations that we didn’t anticipate and opportunities to sin that we didn’t see coming.

Every sin comes about because we yield to temptation. Often, we yield to temptation because we were not ready.

We were caught off guard, spiritually speaking. But this doesn’t have to be—in fact it shouldn’t be—the case. We know our enemy is seeking to destroy us. We know Satan is actively pursuing us. So we should have a ready mind that is prepared to face temptation.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We don’t have to be somber, boring people. But we should be sober-minded.

To be “sober-minded” is to be self-controlled, well-balanced, and circumspect.

It’s the opposite of being intoxicated. But this warning doesn’t just mean to avoid alchohol—it’s a mindset that doesn’t let excess and distraction cloud our judgment and render us unready to face Satan’s attacks.

We should also be watchful—that is we should be alert and always expecting an attack.

Imagine an army camped in enemy territory. They must always be ready for the enemy to attack. Even if they go for days or weeks without such an attack, they must keep their guard up and expect the enemy to take action. If they don’t, and the enemy attacks when they aren’t looking for it, the army can be destroyed!

Peter’s words are similar to words He once heard directly from Jesus:

Matthew 26:41 ESV

41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

“Watch” is the same word in both Matthew 26:41 and 1 Peter 5:8. In addition to being alert and on the lookout, Jesus also exhorted the Disciples to pray. Jesus exemplified this in his model prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mt. 6:13).

You know your biggest weaknesses, and thus you should be able to anticipate, to some degree, what temptations you are most likely to face. Be honest with yourself about these weaknesses, and plan and prepare. Do all you can to avoid temptation. Pray for deliverance from temptation. And prepare to overcome those times when you will be faced. Train yourself to be alert to your thoughts and your heart.

If you struggle with envy, pay attention and notice when you start feeling jealous or bitter towards another, and stop yourself before things progress.

If you struggle with anger, monitor your emotions and be prepared to step away, or pray, or do whatever you might need to in order to control your anger when it begins to flare.

We can’t, however, anticipate every temptation. Neither can all temptation be avoided. THus, we must train ourselves to recognize temptation & prepare ourselves to overcome it.

The Example of Joseph (Genesis 39)

Potiphar’s wife made multiple advances at Joseph. From the very beginning, he remembered that to lie with Potiphar’s wife would not just be a sin against Potiphar, but against God. He kept a spiritual outlook at all times. We read that although she made her attempts, Joseph “would not listen to her.” He didn’t flirt with her; he didn’t justify a little time with her; he didn’t take baby steps that would end up with him closer to her. He avoided her to the best of his ability. And when her advances became the most forward, he fled. What if he had listened to her earlier? What if he had grown closer to this woman? Why was Joseph able to flee in the heat of the moment? Because he diligently prepared himself to be ready to do so.

Ready to Endure Trials

Like temptations, trials are a part of life. They are going to come. Even though we know that, we often find ourselves unprepared to face and thus endure trials. But again, this should not be the case.

1 Peter 4:12 ESV

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Often, it’s hard, if not impossible, to anticipate an upcoming trial. Especially when the trial comes in the form of tragedy or loss, we may find ourselves in fiery trial without any advance notice. But that doesn’t mean that trials should surprise us or catch us off guard. Knowing trials can come, we must build a foundation of faithfulness to and trust in the Lord.

Consider Job—he had no warning that his life was about to be turned upside down. And yet, he was ready. When he lost everything, he mourned, but he also worshipped. He had prepared himself—his dedication to God prepared him to face tremendous loss.

2 Timothy 3:12–17 ESV

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Persecution is to be expected. In modern culture, we often act surprised when the world responds hatefully and spitefully towards Christian principles.

Consider backlash towards Harrison Butker or other recent example. But should we really be surprised when the kingdom of darkness does dark things?

Knowing that loss is part of life and knowing that persecution will happen enables us to prepare. We often act like loss and persecution won’t touch us—and when they do our faith lags because we weren’t properly prepared. But ground yourself in God’s Word now. Develop a hope that is focused on Jesus and not earthly things now. Discipline yourself towards godliness now, and you will find it easier to endure trials when they come.

Ready to Work and Serve

1 Peter 1:13–16 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Holiness doesn’t happen by accident. Holiness isn’t magically transmitted from one holy Christian to another. Holiness comes through faithful obedience, and obedience comes through preparation! We should make up our minds that we will obey God. We should determine we are going to do all we can to obey His Word. That means we must know HIs word, so we read it. That means we must understand His Word, so we study it and discuss it with others. That means we must trust God’s ways over our own, so we humble ourselves and accept God’s instructions, even when they are contrary to our desires.

Titus 3:1 ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

We may not be able to plan out every good work, but we can prepare! We can look for opportunities to do good. We can look for chances to serve and work. Perhaps we miss out on opportunities to do good because we aren’t paying attention. We aren’t looking for opportunities to help and serve, and thus such opportunities pass us by.

Are we actively involved with others? Are we listening to others? Are we paying attention so that we can be ready for good work?

2 Corinthians 9:1–7 ESV

1 Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction. 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Sometimes giving is a spontaneous response to an immediate need. But giving is also something we can prepare for. Are we looking for opportunities to give? Are we training our hearts to be understanding and compassionate, so that we desire to help when we see a need?

Further, giving can be planned. Whether it’s giving of our means to the collection of the saints, or setting aside funds with the intent of using them to help others, it is possible to plan and prepare to give. We plan for vacation; we plan for big purchases; we plan for retirement; but do we plan to give?

Ready to Share the Gospel

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

We may bemoan the lack of growth in the church. We feel like no one is interested in the Bible; no one wants to come to church; people are too far gone. Or maybe we feel everyone is set in their ways. But is that true? Are we talking with people enough to know if that’s true? How often do we try and lead others to the truth?

Sharing the gospel isn’t going to happen by accident. We like to think people are going to ask us about our faith. We want people to just show up to church services. But those things rarely happen. Thus, we need to look for opportunities. We need to prepare ourselves to find opportunities among our circles of influence to help share the light of Christ.

Are you ready to defend (i.e. explain) your hope to others?

Are you prepared to share the gospel with others?

Are you looking for opportunities in your relationships to help people learn about Jesus and come to Him?

Ready to Forgive

Forgiveness is an important, yet difficult, topic. What does forgiveness really mean? When does forgiveness occur? Those are excellent questions, but for forgiveness to happen, we are going to have to be prepared and ready to forgive. Matthew 18 is a chapter all about forgiveness.

Matthew 18:15-20—Jesus teaches about how to reconcile. He exhorts the offended party to seek out the offender, reveal their sin, and to do this in an attempt to “gain your brother.” Jesus isn’t telling us to simply forgive and forget—He’s teaching us to reconcile.

Matthew 18:21-22: Peter asks how many times he should forgive someone and suggests seven times. Jesus says 77 times! While Peter may seem to have missed the mark, what we should note is he was taking the responsibility to prepare to forgive seriously. He was wrestling with this difficult concept, but trying to understand and be prepared to forgive and reconcile. Jesus affirms such preparation, but expands the readiness to forgive to a far larger height than Peter considered!

Matthew 18:23-34—Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. To help the disciples (and us) prepare ourselves to forgive, Jesus teaches us to remember how much we have been forgiven. With that outlook and attitude, it shapes our hearts to be prepared to go through the often difficult process of forgiving and reconciling with those who have hurt us.

Real forgiveness is something that can only be fully achieved when there is repentance and reconciliation to some degree. If a person is unrepentant, then our forgiveness means little to nothing. But what we can ALWAYS do, irrespective of another person’s choices or attitudes, is be ready to forgive. We can pursue reconciliation. We can choose to act in love. We can correct in love, and we can extend the opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Once again—forgiveness does not come naturally. Thus, we must prepare. We must be molded by the Lord’s compassion and mercy. We must trust the Lord’s guidance and instruction. We must love truth. And we must love others. As we develop such love, we can prepare ourselves to do the difficult work of forgiving when the need arises.

Ready for Jesus’ Return

Ultimately, we are preparing for Jesus’ return. We want to be ready when Jesus comes back, not caught off guard. That’s why all the other preparation is so important. We want to be ready to endure, and overcome, and work, and serve so that as we do those things, we can be ready for eternity.

Luke 12:35–40 ESV

35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be ready. We must live our lives always expecting and anticipating the return of Jesus. Don’t let pleasures distract you; don’t let trials discourage you; don’t let busyness sidetrack you—remember Jesus is coming back, and live ready and prepared for that great day!

Conclusion

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jesus promised that He is preparing a place for His followers. Are you prepared to go?