Titus V
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1-3 ESV)
to be ready for every good work
The key here is the word, “ready.”
Many years ago, some college friends and I organized a 24/7 dart gun game, called “Assassin.” We all carried dart guns around campus (and off campus) and hoped to tag other players of the game, without being tagged ourselves.
The game did not have a down time, other than Sundays.
And we had to be ready to defend, ready to shoot, ready to fire, ready to tag, ready to avoid being tagged, ALL the time.
I did not win, because I lacked eager focus.
The young man who won, won because he loved the idea of the game… and was excited to be doing what was expected. He never tired of it. He never let his guard down. He finished as strongly as the rest of us began.
That is like the Christian life. Rather than go through our days, looking forward to rest, what if we went through our days ready to act kindly. Rather than organize our schedule, ensuring that every box is ticked, what if we went through our day making sure we had time for acts of random goodness. Rather than, as we work, rest, and play, making sure we are pleased with our accomplishments, we worked, rested, and played, in ways that were good for those around us.
I know… easier said than done…
But Paul reminds us because it IS something we can do. Christ gives us the example, the ability, and the power.