Ready Or Not . . .

Ready or Not . . .

You know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. . . . So be on your guard. . . . Stay alert and be clearheaded. 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 6

We don’t know the hour that Christ will return, but rather that He will sneak in “like a thief in the night.” We should always be ready for that surprise arrival.

It’s a lot like the opening kickoff of a game. Bum Phillips, the former head coach of the old Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) used to say in his pregame pep talks that the kickoff was coming shortly whether we were ready or not, so we shouldn’t think about just warming up; we needed to get ready to play. Of course, when the kickoff came, we hadn’t yet had a chance to see what the other team has planned for us, so we must be ready for anything—whether an onside kick or crafty return or a different blocking scheme.

When I was still with the Indianapolis Colts, we played the Chicago Bears in the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, Florida, on a rainy night. It was the first time a Super Bowl had been played in the rain. The Bears had a dangerous returner by the name of Devin Hester, and I was convinced we had the right scheme to stop him on the kickoff. In previous games, other teams had decided not to kick off to him so they wouldn’t give him a chance to burn them with a big return, but I was confident in what we had planned to contain him. Besides, on a wet field, he wouldn’t be nearly as elusive, so we opened the game kicking the ball deep and right to him.

Seconds later, it was 7–0 Bears, as Hester ran the kickoff all the way back for a touchdown. I shouldn’t have been surprised.

That was the last time we kicked the ball to him in the Super Bowl that night.

Similarly, Jesus’ return may surprise you in a manner much like that. Therefore, you should always be ready.

Uncommon Key > Consider what you and your family need to do to be prepared for Christ’s return. It might happen later today, tomorrow, or next week—you never know. Get ready.