Stand Ready

Jesus said to his disciples:
  'Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42-51 JB

Stand ready then!  The invitation from Jesus is that we should not put off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. Our decision and response is invited today. Now - at this very moment we are called out of our darkness into the very presence of God our creator. The God who knows intimately what is best for us and how he can lead us into wholeness. There is no stuffiness in him just Love, pure love, for us to bathe in and receive and pass onto others. 

God is calling to you just as he did to Samuel in the Old Testament. Remember Samuel did not know that it was possible to hear the voice of God. He was Eli's servant, one night he went to bed and heard the Lord's voice when he was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Samuel thought it was his master so he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Eli said, ""My son, I did not call; go back and lie down." This continued, the third time that it happened Eli realized that in fact it was the Lord God who was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Now God had Samuel's attention he says  "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle."  It was through these first words that Samuel heard that God called him into the ministry of a prophet.

God seems to call people in ways that speak to them uniquely. So although he called to Samuel audibly with others he uses different methods adapting to the individual. To some he just gives a quiet certainty. To some he speaks to through his preachers. To some he speaks to through nature and others through art or music. 

Samuel discussed what had happened with Eli and he was guided by him with these words "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes."  God's voice can only lead us to do good or loving actions.When we hear the Lord like Samuel we need to discern what we hear.

Our difficulty in hearing God and letting him do good in our lives is that there are counter forces at work in us.  These counter forces can let God's words to us fall to the ground. Sometimes we let our self doubt and negativity speak into our lives, telling us pernicious lies, that we are no good and that we should find our fulfilment in the very things that actually kill our spirit and make it harder for us to be happy. The voice that says to us wait until tomorrow and tomorrow before you take any action. And so our time evaporates out of our life before we can respond. 

We can erect barriers against God at the same time as paying lip service to him. I am saying this to myself as much as I am saying this to you. 

There are always areas of our life that God wants us to bring to him in honesty. When we do he will help us to move into a more loving way of being. Seemingly step by step. But if we are to "stand ready" we need to surrender what we can of the barriers to love. God will help you to change some more!

Ask yourself about these barriers

• Money - does my need to tend and protect my money prevent me from loving?
• Power - does my need to control others remove their freedom and hinder their love?
• Sex - as a sexual being am I being loving and also aware of the outcomes of my actions?
• Computer - am I losing aeons of God given time in random internet searches?
• Social Media - am I using words that build up or destroy?

There is something to be said for trying to live each day as if it was the last day on earth. If that was the case today how would you be with the above areas? Remember "stand ready" in love of the Lord.

Remember "with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption."

Dear Lord, Forgive me for the times when I wander away from your Spirit. Help me to focus my life fruitfully on the Kingdom of God. Amen