p. 9 | I AM READY by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Sep 20, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 38.

"I AM READY."

By H. A. St. John

BY H. A. ST. JOHN.

"FOR Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee." Ps. 86 : 5. The Lord is ever ready to forgive the penitent sinner. He is plenteous in mercy, and ever delights to dispense that mercy to those in need. What a pity that we are not all just as ready to repent when we have sinned. And when we have accepted the service of Christ our Saviour, how often we are found both unwilling and unready to do the Master's bidding.

Jesus kindly excused His disciples from watching with Him in the garden, by saying, "The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." But the trouble with these disciples was not wholly a physical one. On the same night Jesus said to Simon, "Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death." Luke 22 : 31-33.

From this we learn that religious profession, or religious zeal are not enough to give a readiness to do and to suffer for Christ, but a thorough conversion. Peter verily purposed, in himself, to stand with Christ, suffer, or die. But in a few short hours, we hear him denying Christ with an oath. But when his conversion was perfected in Gethsemane, and he was endowed with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, he was enabled to say, Come life of reproach, and suffering, or ignominious death, I am ready, as his life fully demonstrated.

Take the case of Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, as another illustrious example of a man who could ever say, I am ready for anything and everything that may come across my path as I follow my divine Master. To the saints in Rome he wrote, "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also." Rom. 1 : 15. And this he was enabled to do, altho a prisoner.

Again, when returning to Jerusalem from a successful missionary tour, he tarried several days at Cæsarea, with Philip the evangelist. While there he was told by a true prophet that bonds awaited him at Jerusalem. His companions, and brethren of that place, all besought him with tears not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, "What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts 21 : 12, 13. This was not a vain and empty boast on the part of the apostle, for he well knew wherein his strength lay, which enabled him to say with perfect assurance, "I am ready," without regard to whether he knew, or did not know, what awaited him.

The last recorded instance of Paul's use of these significant words, "I am ready," an expression of entire consecration, is found in his last letter to his beloved Timothy. "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." 2 Tim. 4 : 6-8.

"I am now ready to be offered." Thus he spoke deliberately, calmly, trustingly, yea, more hopefully, in plain view of immediate death at the hands of his enemies. He had no bitter or cruel things to say about his persecutors, but with strong faith, and bright hope, he looked above and beyond this life of conflict, to the crowning day. In that day, when Jesus comes in glory, with all the overcomers; he would receive a crown of glory, righteousness, and immortality. And that blessed hope ever sustained him, and enabled him to say, I am ready to preach, to labor, to be bound, or to die; to be accounted anything or nothing for Jesus' sake. Can we always say, I am ready?