Scripture: (Jesus speaking) “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come: in the evening; or at midnight; or when the rooster crows; or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mk 13:32-36)
Observation: This section is eerily familiar in one respect: Gethsemane. Is Jesus speaking about That Day (yes, he is), or is he speaking about persevering/enduring/pursuing him to the End? How about both?
Analysis: I couldn’t help but think about Gethsemane and Jesus asking the 3 main joes to stay awake and pray with him during that agonizing night.
Yes, this section is about That Day and how silly it is to pursue any particular day on our calendar, when even Jesus himself doesn’t know the day or the time of That Day.
“Is it Sunday, Father? Will it be at High Noon or at Sunset? Maybe the break of day?”
“Son leave it alone. Just tell me: Are you ready?”
“Say the Word, Dad. I am on the Ready 6…”
I am being silly, but that is sort of how I should be—ready, willing, “on the Ready 6.” (Aircraft carrier talk—did you ever see “Top Gun?”)
Candidly, I am not ready all the time. Shucks, I don’t even think most days I am that far out of bed, tackling the day in His Name. I do get up, do my chores, go to work, and so forth—but alert for His Coming? Ready for the horn to blow? Not even close.
Why is that? It is because I am not putting the effort into being a disciple.
Becoming a disciple isn’t a matter of asking “Lord, please make me a disciple” and poof, there I am—a full-fledged, completely enabled and trained, fully vested Disciple of the 1st Rank.
It doesn’t happen that way. What does happen is submitting to the Training of the Holy Spirit through cooperation by systematically shedding and adding “Fruit.” Takes a long time, a lifetime for all, because none on earth gets to that magic moment when it is said, “You are done, complete, here is your Disciple 1st class badge.”
What it takes, simply put, is intention. Am I intending to become a disciple or am I hoping that by some process of osmosis eventually will I become one?
This thought keeps me going every day.
Prayer: Lord, I want to be ready for That Day (which could come even as I am writing this). I have been told “Plan for 100 years from now, be ready for 100 seconds from now.” Help me systematically put my nose to the grindstone and please You all my days. AMEN.