Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44, ESV)
Recently Marshall, our men’s Links Players leader in Anthem, Arizona, forwarded me an email from his club. It was an invitation to a clinic with two pros and one member who had qualified to play in the Arizona Open. They would teach how they were preparing for the tournament.
He sent it to me primarily because the Arizona Open is being played this year at Mesa Country Club –a fact noted in the invitation – where I’m a member. Marshall wrote, “Mesa in the news,” which was fun.
I loved the idea of a clinic about preparedness for this important event and thought about what they might focus on.
I’m sure they’re working on their short games because the greens at Mesa CC are very small by today’s standards. They’re probably also working on driving accuracy because the fairways are narrow.
You may think excellent players like those men go about their normal routines before a tournament, but they don’t. They prepare for the course they will play and the conditions in which they’ll play it.
You may also think there isn’t anything special about getting ready for your day today because it will probably be routine.
Likewise, many of us have never thought about being prepared for the return of Jesus. That is an event we have all qualified for, and Jesus said plainly that we should always be ready.
We have no idea when that will be, but if you knew it was going to happen next week, would you attend a clinic on preparedness?
The Arizona Open is a big deal in Arizona, and many qualifiers have been at Mesa CC checking it out and playing practice rounds.
It is nothing, though, compared to the return of the King of Kings. Get ready, and stay ready. He may return to Earth, or you may end your time on Earth and meet him before he returns.
But if you are always ready, no matter what happens or when, you will be prepared to tee it up and play on.
Prayer: Father, let us not falter in being prepared, but always be ready for Jesus. In his amazing name, Amen