2 TIMOTHY 4:2

“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

I will never forget when I was serving with an older pastor in South Georgia while in college. He gave me, a young minister at the time, some great advice. He said, “Always keep your six-gun loaded.” What he meant was to always be ready to preach. He told me then he always kept six messages in the back of his Bible in case he was asked to preach somewhere. I’ve done that most of my ministry, and it has sure come in handy.

But Paul goes beyond that with Timothy. Not only does he tell him to be ready “in season and out of season,” but he tells him how to preach. He says to reprove, rebuke and exhort. That’s not tickling people’s ears. That’s not just saying God loves you. That’s calling people to be aware of their sins and calling them to repentance. We should take notice of that.

APPLICATION

As our children come to Christ we need to teach them to be ready at all times to share their faith. I was asked recently, “What is the purpose of our salvation?” What do you think? We are commissioned by the great Commander-in-Chief to spread the good news of salvation to others. Our children have that same standing order. So, we must teach them to be ready at all times.

And in these days, they will be tempted to “normalize” all sort of behavior. Calling sin a sin is not popular today. They will be ridiculed for holding to the truth. They will possibly even be threatened for rebuking or exhorting. But God’s Word hasn’t changed. Teach them through your actions to be bold as they share the truth of the good news in love to others.

Are you bold enough in your witness to do what Paul charged Timothy? This charge is also our charge. Are you prepared at any time to present the gospel to someone? Is your six-gun loaded? You don’t have to preach a sermon, but you should have enough grip on the message of salvation that you could share with anyone. Get ready. Load up. It’s harvest time.

I am ready, O Father, to share Your message of salvation. Today put someone in my path with whom I can share. Let my testimony be front and center so others can see what You have done through me.