Articles
Ready
There is a song we used to sing which I can’t recall hearing very often these days. It is called, “There’s A Great Day Coming.” The song speaks of a great day coming, a bright day coming, and a sad day coming. It’s the same day, but it will mean different things to different people. With this thought firmly in mind, the song comes to its powerful chorus repeatedly asking one question over and over. Are you ready?
It is a good question for self-reflection, but even more it calls us to preparation. If we aren’t ready, we need to get ready. There are many things that each of us ought to be prepared for.
We need to be ready to do good. The rich are instructed to “be generous and ready to share” (I Tim. 6:18). All of us are to be reminded “to be ready for every good deed” (Titus 3:1). In the coming days and weeks, there will likely be opportunities for you to do good things that will sneak up and surprise you. They aren’t planned. Maybe it is a friend, a family member, or a complete stranger who is in need of some assistance such as a hot meal or help around the house. Maybe it will be an opportunity to share an encouraging and comforting word. As Christians, we are called to be ready for just such an occasion.
We need to be ready to teach. Preachers need to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instructions” (II Tim. 4:2). Peter’s instructions are more universal. He writes to all Christians when he says to, “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (I Pet. 3:15). You never know when the opportunity to teach the gospel will come. Questions can come out of the blue from children, neighbors, coworkers—from anywhere, really. We all need to be looking for those opportunities and ready to give some answers. You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to know much at all. What we need is to be ready to take the time to discuss our faith and turn to the Bible to study together, searching for the divine answers the world needs to hear.
We need to be ready to face temptation. Peter declared himself to be ready to face anything, “Lord with You I am ready to go both to prison and death” (Lk. 22:33). Unfortunately, he was not nearly as ready as he thought. It wouldn’t be long before Peter deserted Jesus and then denied any knowledge of Him multiple times. One thing we can be certain of is that we will face spiritual challenges and temptations. Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour rather than a tired lion looking for a place to nap (I Pet. 5:8). Tests are coming your direction. Are you ready?
The song, however, is not really focused on any of these areas. Instead, it speaks of a day of judgment, or perhaps what comes right after our final breath. As I write this, family members are gathered around a loved one, watching his breaths get weaker and wondering which one will be his last. Not everyone is given so much notice though. Sometimes death comes suddenly and without warning and we don’t have time to prepare for it in the moment. We have to be ready beforehand. Are you ready for this day to be your last?
The question is so powerful, important, and urgent that it was worth singing over and over. Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for the judgment day?
