Stay Ready

"And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming."
1 John 2:28 (ESV)

Charles Swindoll once worked in a machine shop where the whistle blew every day at five. Almost everyone took fifteen minutes to gather their things and leave. One man was already out the door before the sound stopped echoing. Swindoll finally asked him his secret. The man said, I stay ready, so I don't have to get ready.

That's a whole sermon in one sentence. In the devotionals this week, you've been putting on armor, fixing your eyes on the stars of Scripture, learning to spot the spirit of antichrist, and trusting the Spirit who already lives in you. None of that is meant to sit on a shelf until an emergency. It is meant to become who you are; the way that man's readiness wasn't a trick, it was a habit.

John closes his letter with exactly this in mind. Either your life will end before Jesus returns, or Jesus will return before your life ends. You don't get to choose which one happens first. But John says if you're abiding in Him now, you'll meet that moment with peace and confidence, and that's the promise this whole letter has been building toward.

Tonight, don't wait for the whistle to blow. Open the Word, stand close to the Savior, and let the Spirit keep doing what He's already doing in you, so that whichever comes first, you're not scrambling for your coat.

The armor you put on the first day of this week, God's Word, His Son, His Spirit, is still on you right now. Keep wearing it, and you'll never be caught unready.

Prayer: Father, I don't want to live one way today and scramble to get ready tomorrow. Let abiding in You become so natural that I'm not caught off guard. Help me always remain close to You, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.