Staying Ready

During the run of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s, one of their dynamic bench players was Vinnie Johnson. Given the nickname “The Microwave” by then-Boston Celtics guard Danny Ainge, Johnson was known to score – and score in a hurry.

Johnson was a double-digit scorer off the bench for his career, but during his time with the Pistons, he averaged as many as 15 points a game and helped Detroit win back-to-back NBA championships. Johnson’s nickname was given to him because he was always ready. He was prepped and ready to be inserted and score at any moment.

Abram and his men were ready! In Genesis 14, a war broke out between several kings around Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abram’s nephew Lot lived. When the kings fled, the pursuing kings took captives, including Lot. When Abram got word that his brother’s son was taken, Abram didn’t hesitate. “When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.” (Genesis 14:14) The word “trained” means tried or proven. In short, those men were ready to act when called.

How about you? You may not play many minutes in a contest, but when needed, will you be ready? What about any of us? If someone needs us, will we be ready?

If God calls us to serve Him in a distant land, will we be ready? If someone asks us to tell them about  Jesus, will we be ready?