Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

A Motto for Young Christians.

If ever you happen to be in Landport, in the south of England, search out the monument to Sir Charles Napier there, you will find inscribed upon it these three forceful words, “Ready, Aye, Ready.” Nothing else is said about him, but it is quite sufficient. It was his motto throughout his service in the British Navy, and as a sailor he lived up to it.

He would be a poor sailor indeed who was not ready for every emergency, and would be constantly in trouble. But if the sailor needs to be ever on the lookout for hidden rocks and shoals and ready for sudden squalls, how much more the Christian, for if your Christian life is to be one of joy to yourself and glory to the Lord, you must be “ready, aye, ready.”

The first thing that the Christian is ready for is the coming of the Lord. He is coming as the Bridegroom, and those who are ready will go in with Him to the marriage supper. There is death also, and those who are not ready to leave this world are not Christians at all.

None are made ready however, by their own work, but by the work of Jesus. His blood has washed away their sins and made them fit for heaven above.

On the burning “Birkenhead.”
Amongst those British soldiers, who stood with set faces shoulder to shoulder as the ship went down, was a Christian. As the last boat left the ship he handed his Bible to a comrade whose lot it was to go, and said to him, “Find out my mother if ever you reach England, she gave me that Bible when I left home, and tell her that I know how a fellow feels when the angels in heaven rejoice over his repentance.” Ah! he was ready. When the Birkenhead went down he went up to be with Jesus, who had saved his soul.

It is well to be ready for the future, to meet the Lord when the call comes, and thank God every Christian has been made ready for this great event. Ready to go when the Lord calls. Ah! that is well, and happy indeed is the soul that can say with confidence, “I am ready.”

Now the next thing to see to is that we are ready to serve the One who has saved us, while we wait for His coming again. You will remember that the Word of God says, “The love of Christ constrains us. … He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to Him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15.) Are we ready for this?

To say “No” to self and “Yes” to Christ, to refuse our own way and will and live to Him. Well, this can only be as His love constrains us; but if we taste the sweetness of that love and see its greatness, we shall say, “Ready, aye, ready,” to be wholly surrendered to and altogether for Him who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Then we need to be ready every day to meet the wiles and snares of Satan, his gins and snares and pitfalls are laid with great subtlety, and he is ever ready to trip us up and make us fall. We must keep our weather eye open. “Be sober, Be vigilant.” (1 Peter 5:8.) “Watch and pray.” (Matthew 26:41) are words of exhortation to which we need to take heed. But it is great encouragement for us to bear in mind that our great High Priest lives on high to make intercession for us, and that the Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts to keep us in the right way. May we be ever “ready, aye, ready” to be led and guided by Him so that our lives shall glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.