This week's passage on Mark 13 turned out to be more complex than I initially believed it would be. That's what happens when you are using really good commentaries by really good scholars.
Thankfully, the key point remained straightforward enough, even though plenty of details regarding how to interpret the passage were in flux.
It boils down to being ready.
Ready for whatever God has in store.
Being ready means we are constantly alert and pursuing God's will as his disciples. We are wisely viewing the world around us through the prism of His Word and what He's told us.
At the height of my basketball career, I was a bench player. Not the first sub in, but I had a particular set of skills that earned me playing time if and when the starters weren't getting the job done. Coach wouldn't always play me consistently, but I used that to make sure I was always in tune with the game and would be ready to go whenever my number was called.
It did make a big difference at least once. We were hosting our rival Bethel in a key conference game. Bethel had several lightning quick guards, a match-up that wasn't favorable for me and Coach often didn't play me much when the other team was especially quick. This particular game developed strangely though. We built a big lead, but they came back and made it a tight ball game midway through the second half. About that time several of our players got into foul trouble. By the end, we had 5 guys foul out. I didn't see the court until a minute or two left in regulation and the game went into overtime. The back-and-forth contest continued to be so in the first part of OT and I was able to score the only two buckets not scored by our All-American center as we pulled away and won by double digits. It was awesome. And it wouldn't have happened if I'd been sulking about not playing or if I'd been taking it easy assuming I wouldn't play.
Be ready.
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