Ready or Not

In the children’s game, “Hide and Seek.” A child counts to one hundred, and during that time the other children try to hide. When he or she finishing counting they say, “Ready or not, here I come.”

Well, the count is about over, and Jesus is about to say, “Ready or not, here I come.”

And while we shouldn’t try to hide, are we ready to be found, are we faithfully watching?

Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming … Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” (Matthew 24:42, 46)

Jesus gave this response to His disciples when they asked Him about a sign of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus is saying to be ready because no one knows the day or the hour of His return, or when the count has reached its end.

To emphasize this point Jesus gives us several scenarios. The first is that no one knows when a thief will break in and steal, so be prepared. The second is of a servant who is found faithful when the master returns and receives a blessing. But if that servant is found to be wicked, thinking the master’s return is delayed, then hell will be their end.

It is this last scenario that captured my attention. After time many believers begin to slacken in their beliefs and morals. They say in their heart, “I’ve got time,” so they revert back to their old way of life, or they begin to compromise with the world.

But what we need to understand is that every day that goes by and every hour that passes may be our last. So are we being faithful with what God has given to us? Are we living our lives in the state of heightened expectancy ready to hear the trumpet sound and Jesus say, “Ready or not, here I come.”