Are You Ready?

By John Sackett

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,... "
Luke 12:35 NIV

The phrase, "dressed ready for service" takes my mind immediately to Ephesians 6:10-18, where Paul challenges the believers in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God, so that they will be able to stand against all the strategies and schemes of the Devil.

Each morning as we arise, we decide what to wear for the day. We ask ourselves what we need to wear for the first activity of the day, be it chores, jogging, golf, a breakfast meeting, going to class, feeding the kids or shoveling snow.

Paul reminds us we have an enemy and we are in a battle. So every day we must dress ourselves with the whole armor of God. How? I don't have the space here to address each item Paul lists, but do read the list and prayerfully ask God if you are dressed to pass inspection, and are ready for service.

"Dressed and ready" speaks to equipping and training, having the right equipment and knowing how to use it. "Keep your lamps burning" speaks to being a clear and winsome witness where we live, work and play. If we are the only Bible some will ever read, the only representation of Christ some will ever see, will they get the true message or have a clear picture?

Jesus wants us to develop habits that will dress us for our daily challenges. Here are some practical ways to do this:

1. Begin each day prayerfully reading a short portion of scripture, asking God to show you His values for your day. You and I may need to adjust or change an attitude toward someone or some activity as a result.
2. Pray over each responsibility and person you will meet, asking for the Lord's help as you seek to keep your lamp burning brightly.
3. Ask a friend or your small group to pray for you in the area you need it most, (love, joy, peace, patience, courage, boldness, honesty, etc.)
4. Take the initiative to get to know a neighbor or co-worker. Treat them to a coffee, or help them finish up a job, for example. Show a personal interest in them and see where the conversation leads. Arrange for them to meet another Christian friend of yours in an informal, non-threatening environment, like shopping, watching a game or joint family times. Two lights are brighter than one.
5. Discuss in your small group what you could do together to help each other to reach out to your friends. Invite your neighbors or coworkers to an informal 'Dessert and Discussion night.' Pick a topic like: how can we better enjoy our children? how do we teach values and responsibility to our teenagers?; how can we be a better community, improve our marriage, etc. Then if the guests show interest in continuing to meet, let them suggest topics for the next discussion.

Build on these relationships by getting together with your friend once or twice between meetings for a cup of tea or to drive a bucket of balls. Just be yourself with them. Let them know you are real and see where it goes.

If we stay dressed ready for service and keep our lamps burning, I believe our friends will begin to see Jesus in us.