36 He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."
38 The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords."
"That is enough," he replied.
Here Jesus warns His disciples of impending changes in circumstances that were fast approaching. Before they had gone out penniless – now they were to take a purse. As their Master was preparing to go through suffering, they too, in like fashion, would be placed in difficult circumstances. His desire was for them to be prepared. They must now expect that their friends would not be so generous and kind to them hence the mention of the purse and bag. They should also expect their enemies to be fiercer against them. Scripture teaches us to be prepared spiritually, mentally and physically - equipped to face the challenges and opportunities presented us - enabling us to bring God much glory and joy in our readiness. We are soldiers in His army often fighting against dark forces for the souls of men.
The following verses, while certainly not exhaustive, give us insight into God’s desire for our being prepared:
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV)
2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:2-3 (NIV)
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Prov 4:7 (NIV)
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Cor 9:25-27 (NIV)
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11-13 (NIV)
3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 (NIV)
Our most important resource is time and we are each given the same amount every day – talk about perfect equality – how we choose to invest or spend it is up to us. I don’t know about you, but it is easy for me to squander away this valuable gift spending time on things that are of no use or value to me and certainly carry no eternal benefits. Then, “when the day of evil” shows up, I find myself unprepared to face the trials set before me. If I desire to be in shape, I must work on building muscle every day. Likewise, if I am to grow spiritually, I am to put forth effort into that high goal – it will not just happen.
As believers in Jesus, the command He has given us is to make disciples. We do this by being His light in this dark world. We are to be different. We are not to blend. The Romans, in their cruelty towards the early Christian, would set these souls on fire and use them as lampposts giving them light. In a macabre way, these early martyrs brought God much glory by literally shining their lights through the giving of their lives.
“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and a wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians...and I am one of them. St. Cyprian, 200-258