Living "Ready"

My first mentor in ministry told me that a pastor needs "to be ready to preach, pray, and die on the spur of the moment." At the time, I wasn't completely sure what he meant, but over the years, I came to understand the need to be ready to serve any moment. At my ordination, Dr. James Diehl charged me to "preach the Word, in season and out of season." "Be ready" is a theme in ministry life.

I remember going to my friend's wedding a number of years ago. I was excited to celebrate the marriage of these two wonderful people. He had not asked me to officiate the wedding. I was glad to just sit back and watch the special moment unfold, but then it happened. My friend approached and asked, "Scott, can you preach the message for the wedding ceremony?" I smiled and said, "Give me a quiet room and five minutes. I will be ready!"

In the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles, we learn that Hezekiah became king of Judah following the death of his father, King Ahaz, an evil king. Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king, and he was determined to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as King David had done. He set out immediately to prepare the nation of Judah to live obediently to the Lord's commands. In his first month as king, he opened the doors of the temple and began the necessary repairs. He called the priests and the Levites together to help in the work and said to them, "My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him" (2 Chronicles 29:11). Hezekiah's call was, "Be ready!"

Unfortunately, we soon learn that not everyone was prepared to serve. In 2 Chronicles 29:34, we read: "The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been." Some were ready. Some were not.

Being ready isn't just for pastors, kings, priests, and Levites. It is God's call for all people as we follow Jesus. If we are to love Christ with the commitment His sacrifice deserves, we must live our lives consecrated, set apart, and ready for the moment our King calls. The prophet Isaiah lays out a similar challenge as he spoke the words of God in Isaiah 43:4, "Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life." You give yourself to Me, and I will give you people. You live consecrated, and I will make you fruitful.

As the summer ends and a new season begins, I feel compelled to ask the church, "Are you ready? Are you living consecrated to the Lord? Is your life surrendered to the will of God?" Do not be negligent now. Time is short. Live ready!