LUKE 12:35-40 – “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
THEME OF THE DAY: WOULD YOU NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING? A lady once asked John Wesley that suppose he were to know that he would die at 12:00 midnight tomorrow, how would he spend the intervening time. His reply: “Why madam, just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Gloucester, and again at five tomorrow morning; after that I would ride to Tewkesbury, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Rev. Martin’s house, who expects to entertain me, talk and pray with the family as usual, retire to my room at 10 o’clock, commend myself to my heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in Glory.”
As we dive into this very important and perhaps convicting topic, let’s give ourselves a little more time than the lady gave Wesley and his departure to be with the Lord. He had a day. We will take a week.
Imagine if we knew a week from today at noon, we are going to die. This day, next week, we are leaving this world and will be face-to-face with Him who created the world and saved us from our sins and this world. With that before us, here is the question . . . Would we need to change anything in the last week of our earthly lives? Would we need a greater emphasis on spiritual things, a change in priorities and a wiser use and investment of our time? If we are spiritually healthy Christians, we wouldn’t need to change a single thing. Our answer would be the same as John Wesley’s answer. And to get there and stay there, we heed today’s scripture.
Jesus is simply telling us, “Be ready, Keep our hearts and minds on the spiritual and eternal, not the temporal and fleeting. Don’t get so wrapped up in the things of the world we are distracted from a posture of watchfulness.” Yes, it is a war. Yes, it is difficult, but the grace that is sufficient to strengthen us against pride and temptation is grace sufficient enough to keep us aware of Christ’s coming or our going to Him.
So, would you need to change anything in your life if this was the last week of your life? Would I? Not if we are already fixed on and looking for that day of all days – seeing and being with the Lord Jesus!
PRAYER: “Father, help me to live each day as if I were to see Jesus at any second.”
QUOTE: “Watch daily for the Lord for some day you will see Him, and that day might be today.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim