Episode 296: I’m Talkin. . .Ready

I’m Talkin’, episode 296, for December 17th, 2023.

This is Joel from the I’m Talkin’ microcast, where I share my thoughts on a topic that has piqued my interest this past week.

This week, we’re talking ready.

Well, first off, I wasn’t sure I’m ready to record this podcast.

I’m a bit under the weather.

My throat hurts a little bit, so hopefully the sound isn’t too bad.

Ready is an interesting word, pretty common, I think, in our main uses of it.

It’s either a question or a statement.

Are you ready?

And yes, I’m ready.

And that’s really the crest of the word used in so many different instances.

And this time of year, it is used maybe more often than most.

It’s a start of conversations.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready for the new year?

Are you ready for the end of the year?

It seems to come up as a word more often in these last weeks of the year than any other time.

The other thing about the word ready is it is often used for big events.

Are you ready to get married?

Are you ready for your graduation?

Are you ready for your first child to come into your house?

It’s actually moments in time that are being discussed.

They can be little things like, are you ready to go to work?

Are you ready to go to the grocery store?

Are you ready for dinner?

But still, even in those moments, it is just a moment in time type of word.

And therein lies the challenge for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

As Christians, we use the word in a singular mode.

I mean, we use it like the rest of the world, don’t get me wrong.

But when we really think of the word ready as a Christian, there’s only one question that comes to mind.

And it’s a little bit morbid maybe, but it’s just the way it is.

And the question is, are you ready to die?

And I don’t know that anyone can answer that question with any kind of confidence if they are not a believer.

And it’s not an easy question to answer, but to get ready is fairly easy.

Maybe a better word might be simple.

Jesus Christ says he is the way, he is the only way.

And the only way to be ready for death is to have Jesus as your Savior.

And we as Christians hold that truth.

And a great time of the year to be sharing that with friends, family, colleagues, and all who we meet.

The other thing you will notice is that when we talk about being ready as Christians, it’s a timeless word.

God is referencing eternity, time forevermore.

Are you ready for the rest of your life beyond your current life?

And everybody has eternity.

I think that’s the one thing that sometimes in our Christian talk we get wrong.

It’s like, Jesus has given me eternal life.

And that is absolutely true, but God in his creation gave every human eternal life.

It’s just the destination that Jesus has given us the right to change.

It’s just the ability to spend eternity in paradise with him versus spending eternity in torment in the depths and pits of hell.

I often say that when we talk about the word ready as a Christian, if we only knew how bad hell was, or even better, how good heaven is going to be, our witness would be that much more bold.

So that’s my challenge for you in these final weeks of the year, is to ask the question and be ready to answer, and give an answer for why you are ready for eternity.

Until next week, this is Joel from the I’m Talking Microcast.

I’ll see you next week.