on March 26, 2014
Luke 12:35-40 – “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
There were times when we were children that our folks would have to leave us on our own for a while as they attended meetings or went shopping. They would leave us with instructions and expectations for cleaning and order. However, the ten George kids loved to romp and play through the house while our parents were out. We could make a pretty good mess in a short amount of time. I well remember when one of our lookouts would cry out, “Here comes Dad and Mom!” You can’t believe the mad scurry to put the house back in order before they pulled into the driveway and came in the house! I have to say, this wasn’t a very good or effective way to fulfill the plans and expectations laid out for us by our parents and we never really got things back in order! You can only imagine what it was like when our lookout failed to see them coming! We didn’t usually greet them at the door! I’m afraid that many people live their lives in this same fashion! They love to romp and play, avoiding tending to the things the Master has planned and expected from them, thinking that they’ll have time to do all that just before He comes!
Jesus tells His followers to be the kind of servants who will keep everything in a state of readiness, expecting that their Master may return at any time! He counsels them to live in such a way that they will have no apprehension or hesitation to open the door for Him, no matter what time of day or night or life He may come! If they would be just this kind of servant, Jesus gives them a wonderful anticipation of what will happen when the Master returns. He will dress Himself in servant clothes, give them a comfortable place at the table, and will come and SERVE THEM! Talk about turning the tables! It will be really good for those servants! Now, our folks never quite did this for us George kids. Perhaps it’s because they never had reason to, since I doubt that they ever really found us in this state of readiness! But, we cannot imagine the good things our Lord has in store for those who will be faithful and ready when He returns! There will always be many distractions and temptations to overcome, but Jesus assures us that it will be more than worth it if we stay focused, faithful and ready.
“But understand this!” These words jump out to us in this message. If you knew that a thief was going to break into your house, and you had advance knowledge of WHEN he was coming, your shotgun would be ready for him! If you knew that the Tempter was going to break in to your life and cause damage and steal your time, attention, energy and affection from Christ, wouldn’t you do the same thing? Well, let it be known that the Tempter WILL come as a thief. His intentions are to break in and steal those things that are to be devoted to God. He intends to destroy what God intends for good! One of his lies will be, “You have a long time before Christ returns (if He ever really does), so, eat drink and be merry!” If you really knew the damage and destruction the devil will cause when given the opportunity, you wouldn’t give him a chance! So, be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect Him!
Thursday: Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
Friday: Pray for the families of the week: Jim & Dina Priester (A.J., Allison, Sammy, ?), Paul & Karen Rose (Cora, Paul, Shayne, Irene), Bob & Alison St.James and Matthew.
Saturday: Get your spiritual house in order and make ready for Christ’s return!
Sunday: Get up, get dressed and trim your lamp. Then get to the place of Worship and honor the Lord!
Monday: Understand that the devil will be looking for an opportunity to break in and steal.
Tuesday: Secure your heart and mind with the study and application of God’s Word!
Wednesday: Be sure to take care of the things that are important to God! You won’t regret it!
Prayer Challenge – Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. – Titus 3:1-8