Where There’s Blayze

Deadlines, they have this peculiar power to turn a casual “I’ll get to it” into a panicked “Why am I doing this to myself?!” I experienced this firsthand this year while training for the London Marathon. Yes, I ran a marathon, You probably didn’t hear about it because I am far too humble to mention it.

Marathon training taught me two things: the power of a looming deadline and the fickleness of human motivation. For months, I trained rigorously, ate bland food, and gave up all the joys of carbs. The discipline was driven by one thing: the knowledge that I couldn’t fake my way through the marathon. People would see my success—or my failure—on full display.

But here’s the issue: once the marathon was over and the deadline was gone, so was my discipline. My body, no longer in “marathon mode,” decided to carbo-load indefinitely, erasing much of the progress I had made.

This got me thinking: what if I didn’t know when the marathon was going to happen? What if I lived in a constant state of readiness, always prepared for that surprise, “It’s marathon day!”

That question brings us to a far more significant topic: how we live in readiness for the return of Christ.

The Christian Calendar: Counting the Years Until His Return

As the new year approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on how we measure time. Did you know our current calendar system is based on the birth of Jesus? A 6th-century monk named Dionysius Exiguus recalibrated the calendar to center on Christ’s birth. “BC” means “Before Christ,” and “AD” stands for Anno Domini, “The Year of Our Lord.”

But this system isn’t just about marking the years since Jesus came; it’s about counting the years until He comes again. The entire structure of time is anchored in the expectation of His return.

The Bible makes it clear that this expectation is central to our faith. The New Testament, with its 260 chapters, mentions Christ’s return 318 times. That’s one reference for every 25 verses! Scriptures like Titus 2:13 call it our “blessed hope,” while 1 Peter 1:3 describes it as a “living hope.”

Christ’s return isn’t just an abstract idea; it’s a promise that shapes how we live. But how do we live in readiness for something that could happen at any moment?

The Posture of Readiness

The two Gospel readings I want to root this question in Luke 12 and Matthew 25, as they give us two powerful pictures of readiness.

In Luke 12:35-40, Jesus tells a parable about servants waiting for their master to return. At first glance, it might seem like Jesus is advocating for a strict “works-based” approach, where the goal is to earn God’s approval through effort. But that’s not the point.

The servants who are ready aren’t just doing the bare minimum. Their actions reflect a heart of devotion. They’re not motivated by fear of punishment but by love for their master. It’s about relationship, not requirements.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, exemplifies this beautifully in Luke 1:38. When the angel Gabriel tells her she will bear the Son of God, she replies, “I am the Lord’s servant” (the Greek word doulē meaning “slave” or one who belongs entirely to another). Mary’s response wasn’t transactional, it was wholehearted surrender, born out of love and trust.

Faith That Overflows

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus uses the parable of the sheep and goats to show what readiness looks like in action. The sheep are those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned, not out of obligation, but as a natural overflow of their transformed hearts.

The goats, in contrast, represent those who focus on doing the bare minimum. They might pray, tithe, or attend church, but their actions lack the depth of love that flows from a life surrendered to Christ.

As KB, a Christian rapper, puts it:

“I’ve seen the Lord, the same I’ll never be.

Some say they’ve seen the Lord but live on casually.

I don’t know what you saw, but the Lord ain’t what you seen.

Once you’ve really seen the Lord, you’re obsessed with what you see.”

When we truly encounter Christ, it changes us. It’s no longer about meeting quotas or checking boxes; it’s about living a life so saturated with His love that it naturally pours out into how we treat others.

Redeeming the Time

As we approach 2025, many of us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Maybe it’s exercising more, spending less, or finally sticking to that reading plan. Deadlines, like the start of a new year, can be great motivators.

But as Christians, we’re called to think bigger. Every year, every moment, is part of God’s timeline. We’re not just preparing for the next deadline or personal milestone; we’re living in anticipation of Christ’s return.

So how do we redeem the time?

• Shift Your Focus: Instead of asking, “What do I need to do?” ask, “Who am I becoming?” Are your actions rooted in love for Christ?

• Overflow with Love: Like the sheep in Matthew 25, let your faith spill over into tangible acts of love and kindness.

• Stay Ready: Live every day with the awareness that Christ could return at any moment, not out of fear, but out of joyful expectation.

A Year of Transformation

As you step into the new year, remember why we’re counting the years. It’s not about ticking off goals or checking boxes. It’s about living as people transformed by the love of Christ, eagerly anticipating His return.

This year, let’s not just meet deadlines or chase resolutions. Let’s allow Christ to shape us into people who reflect His love in everything we do. After all, the goal isn’t just to prepare for the marathon; it’s to become a runner. And for us, the goal isn’t just to prepare for Christ’s return; it’s to become more like Him every day.

Happy New Year, and may it be one of joyful readiness.