Spiritual Readiness

At 2:30 p.m. Alaska time this past February 12, 2023, one of the biggest sporting events of the year, watched by millions, took place. We all know the outcome. Having grown up just outside Philadelphia—the city of brotherly shove—my wife and I were not too happy with how the game ended.

So much preparation goes into this event each year with millions of dollars at stake. One thirty second advertising slot this year was $7,000,000. The cheapest nosebleed seats a week prior to the game went for $6000. $16.5 billion was spent on Super Bowl related purchases. 130 countries televised the event in more that 30 languages.

For many players the preparation for this game started when they were 5 or 6 years old. 100’s of others have tried to be ready for this game, but only two teams made it. Do you know why the Chief’s won? The simple answer is that Kansas City was more ready that Philadelphia!

I believe that I am writing this to many who will enjoyed watching this game and cared about its outcome. However, I am certain that many of us really care much more about being ready for a flourishing life as human beings. Most of us also desire to be ready for what happens after we breath our last breath of life—a spiritual readiness is something for which we all should prepare.

Paul, in his final epistle to Timothy, gave a charge to him and the church by application, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV). Our spiritual readiness is not a suggestion, is it? Timothy as he carried out God’s mission for his life and all people of faith by application are to “preach the Word.” I have found that the most immediate need for people is that they preach the word to themselves daily—rehearsing God’s truth moment by moment. This is not just for pastors or Christian ministers—this is for all of people of faith. The next instructions is the biblical basis for spiritual readiness “be ready in season and out of season.” This statement is a figure for being ready all the time.

I want to suggest that there are three biblical commitments that we by the power of the Spirit must make in order to have spiritual readiness:

#1 Do not live the what was! –dwelling on our past will cripple us from spiritual readiness. Paul had a past pedigree that he could have been proud of, and he also had a past criminal record that he could riddle him with shame and guilt. However, while under house arrest in Rome, he writes a letter of joy to the Philippians and yet he was ready spiritually because of one thing he did, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13b-14, ESV). Paul was spiritually ready because he did not live the “what was” of his life. By the way, the team that won this year’s Super Bowl did not do so by basking in their past victories or defeats. The “what was” does not matter on game day. The second commitment is like the first except it does not look back but rather looks forward:

#2 Do not life the what if! –worrying about what might happen will cripple us from spiritual readiness. Many are the warnings of scripture to not dread the “what might happen,” but the Master’s message recorded for us in Matthew 5-7 teaches this with clarity. After warning us to not worry about our future life necessities, our Lord invites us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34, ESV). How much clearer can it be that spiritual readiness is seeking Him first and His rule in our lives rather than living the “what ifs” of our lives? How often do we allow what might be to occupy our thoughts and weaken our resolve to trust Him with the future.

By the way, the team that won the Super Bowl this year did not do so by thinking about the winner’s ticker tape parade in Philadelphia or Kansas City. They were not thinking about the

Super Bowl ring that they might win valued this year around $50,000 nor were they anticipating the free trip to Disney. No the team that won and the person of faith that has spiritual readiness will not be thinking about the “what if” of their lives, they will be living the “what is.”

#3 Do live the what is! –living today in the power of Christ will free us to have spiritual readiness. What does God’s love letter say? Jeremiah, was a total failure by the standards of success defined in our culture today. No one listened to him. Most accused him of not speaking God’s word. In the end all of Israel and Judah went into captivity—Jeremiah, the weeping prophet with no converts in a book he wrote entitled “Lamentations,” said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV). Notice he did not say his mercy is new yesterday or tomorrow, but rather new today! The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (ESV). Notice the songwriter did not pen, “tomorrow is the day” or “yesterday is the day,” no, “today is the day.” Spiritual readiness is ours when we live the “what is” of our lives! Yesterday does not exist and never will again! Tomorrow does not exist yet because our Lord has not created it yet! Today is the day that we get to live with Him—He is the ever-present help in today’s time of need!

So where do we spend our time in our minds? So often I allow what has happened or what might happen weaken my spiritual readiness with regret or dread. What is keeping us from trusting His mercies that are new for today only? May His grace empower us to not live “the what was” or the “what if,” but rather live the “what is” today!