Be Ready

Q: "Are you ready?"

A: "I was born ready."

Really? I don't think so. This used to be my scripted response when the question was posed. In part a smart-aleck crack and in part an ignorant rant. It's really all about the question anyway. Am I ready for what...to go to the mall; ...to go to church; ...for work today; ...to take the final exam; …for the washer and dryer to go out; …for an unexpected illness; …for eternity?

We are never ready for the unexpected. We always like to know what's happening next. After all, we have plans to make…when to set the DVR, how much food to buy for the party, when to take an umbrella.

But really, there isn't much planning needed for eternity, because we don't know when it starts. Our pastor's message today dealt with Christ's return. If you weren't there, then you didn't hear when that will be (see, you should go to church). The important part was that it will happen and truth is, nobody knows when except God the Father. The Bible says Jesus will return like "a thief in the night." So what are you doing right now (reading this, obviously) - but seriously, are your actions those of someone who is expecting the return of Christ at any second? More times than not, I act as if His return is neatly written in ink on my calendar and that I will be able to clean up my messy life just in time to be ready about 15 minutes before it happens. But as the pastor pointed out, the Bible does not tell us to get ready, but to be ready. Oops. The good news is we're still here and the opportunity hasn't expired. No time like the present to turn around and walk in readiness. First step: repentance, second step: vigilance. "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:13). Living a life displeasing to God may occur in a slow fade, but repentance only takes an instant. The second you look to God in desperation and say, "Help me!" is when He can clean you from the inside out. I'm not saying your life suddenly goes from pitiful to perfect, but the condition of your spirit does. Salvation is instantaneous…what follows is the long, painful process of working out our messed up lives (church word = sanctification) with our hope set "fully on the grace" of God and the reward of everlasting life with God that is ours in the end (church word = glorification). A marathon runner does not glory in each painful step as the miles add up. He certainly does not run with no end in sight. He has his mind set on the finish line and the accompanying glory and reward of running the race to completion. So goes it with the Christian life. So be ready, but not idle. Run toward the finish line…it may be another 26.2 miles, and it may be less than a step away.

Good Advice

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.

Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone. Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,

"I am the one to take revenge

and pay them back."

The Scriptures also say,

"If your enemies are hungry,

give them something to eat.

And if they are thirsty,

give them something

to drink.

This will be the same

as piling burning coals

on their heads."

Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.

Romans 12:9-21

Keith Green - check this out

I don't take criticism well

What is your reaction to criticism? Does it depend on who it is coming from? For me, I think criticism is harder to take from people close to me. I wonder why? It must be because:

1) I am most vulnerable to them and

2) The comments hit a nerve because I know they are right on

Most of the time, the size of my reaction to criticism is directly proportional to how closely I know the person giving it. Sometimes the smallest, most insignificant comment can create a firestorm inside me, depending on who it comes from and when it is delivered.

So what does this mean? Does it have any spiritual significance?

After studying the book of James, I can tell you it has tremendous spiritual significance. Some themes running throughout James are:

• Growth through trials
  
• Patience
  
• Enduring temptations
  
• Withholding rash speech
  

  …which I think all lead us to what we refer to as spiritual warfare. If you look at the opposite of each of the traits listed above (cursing God during trials, impatience, giving in to temptation, speaking without restraint) you see what it is like to live and walk in the flesh, which is precisely what Satan desires for us, because when we are walking in the flesh, we cannot produce spiritual fruit (ref Galatians 5:16-26) - and when we are not producing spiritual fruit, we are working against God's will (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 6:43-45). So it seems from Jesus' words that neutrality in spiritual warfare is impossible, and therefore cannot be ignored. What then can we do about it in everyday life? By what means can we take up the full armor of God when dealing with criticism (Ephesians 6:10-17)? Not so much that the criticism itself is a Satanic attack, but the temptation to react to it in a fleshly way is (for in fact, our reaction to the "attack" of criticism is either a win for Satan the attacker or for God our redeemer).
  

  The Bible says spiritual warfare (at least in part) is in the realm of our mind and will (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). So this "discipline" in concert with being prepared and ready for action at all times (having our "feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace") prepares us to react with grace rather than hostility; love rather than anger; restraint rather than fury…ideally, at least.
  

  Maybe my reaction to criticism is actually a pretty good gauge of my "real" spiritual walk.
  

  Scary - yes
  

  Eye opening - yes…Thankfully, God can use realizations like this to direct us toward Him…even when we don't think we are too far off the path, He sees what is really going on and He always, always wants us to come closer to Him.
  

  So thank God for criticism (yikes) and take the time to analyze your reaction…spiritual diagnosis is the first step in the healing process.