Always Ready

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB)

Last Sunday, I was excited to receive a small bundle of Coronation Gospel tracts from our visiting preacher. These are colorful two-sided tracts that have a £ 1 million design on one side together with a picture of King Charles, and a Gospel message on the other side. I look forward to sharing these, even though I haven’t used tracts for a while. This got me thinking that I could do more to share the Good News, regardless of my health issues and busy life. I was reminded of today’s verses which charge the reader to “be ready in season and out of season” with the Gospel.

I was reminded of a story of Smith Wigglesworth, the English evangelist and preacher. His fervor for the work of sharing the Gospel and the word of God was renowned, always seeking souls for the Kingdom. Once his wife suggested a holiday by the seaside would be good for the family, and to her surprise he agreed. He promptly made the arrangements, and ordered some gospel tracts too! A few years ago, I asked my Pastor at the time how he was looking forward to his retirement, to which he answered, “Alan, I don’t find retirement in the Bible for men of God such as Elijah!” He was right; there are no earthly holidays or retirement from sharing the Good News.

Dear Reader, can I ask you, are you always ready “in season and out of season” to share Jesus with those who don’t know Him yet? May we always look for opportunities and pray that God would guide us to them in our daily life.