Our motto has two halves. Seek First comes straight from Matthew 6:33. Stay Ready is the other half — and it isn't a tactical slogan. It's one of the most practical threads in the New Testament.
Quotations are from the ESV.
Ready to answer
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." — 1 Peter 3:15
Three things stand out:
- It starts in the heart. Readiness begins with Christ honoured as Lord inside you, not with clever arguments.
- It assumes people will ask. Peter expects a life that makes people curious.
- It's gentle. The "defense" (Greek apologia, a reasoned answer) comes "with gentleness and respect." Winning the argument and losing the person isn't readiness.
A simple way to get ready: be able to tell your story in 90 seconds — what life was like, what changed, and what's different now.
Ready to serve
"Remind them… to be ready for every good work." — Titus 3:1
Readiness isn't only verbal. It's the margin in your week and your wallet that lets you say yes when a neighbour's car breaks down or a friend's marriage is in trouble. Overcommitted people are rarely ready people.
Ready in season and out
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season." — 2 Timothy 4:2
Some days the door is wide open. Most days it isn't. Readiness means you're the same person on both kinds of day — not waiting for a perfect moment that never comes.
Ready for His return
"Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning." — Luke 12:35
"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." — Matthew 25:13
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), the wise and the foolish all fell asleep. The difference wasn't who stayed awake — it was who had oil when it mattered. Readiness is what you've stored up before you need it.
Dressed for it
"And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace." — Ephesians 6:15
Paul pictures readiness as footwear in the armour of God — the thing that lets you move. You can't run in bare feet on rough ground. The gospel is what lets you go anywhere.
Five ways to stay ready this week
- Seek first every morning — five minutes of Scripture and prayer before the phone. (Here's a routine that survives real life.)
- Practise your 90-second story out loud, once.
- Pray for five people by name — your oikos.
- Leave margin — one open evening this week, on purpose.
- Ask one real question and listen to the answer.
That's the whole motto, lived out: put God first, then stay ready for whatever He puts in front of you. The free 30-Day Seek First Challenge walks you through it one day at a time.
Seek first. Stay ready.