On Guard! Luke 20-22

May the mumbling commence!

On guard!  Be on guard at all times.  Do not worry about the timing of the years or months or days or hours.  Be on guard not in any chronological sense.  Rather, be on guard for that special moment in time when Christ will return.  Whether we are on guard or not will help to determine if we can stand in Jesus’ presence when he returns. 

What does it mean to be on guard?  Read from Luke chapter twenty-one:

"Be on your guard – see to it that your minds are never clouded by dissipation or drunkenness or the worries of this life, or else that day may catch you like the springing of a trap – for it will come upon every inhabitant of the whole earth.

You must be vigilant at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to come safely through all that is going to happen, and stand in the presence of the Son of Man." (Verses 34-36)

To keep a steady guard we need a clear mind.  That means not clouding our thoughts and attitudes with spirits other than the Holy Spirit.  It could be the spirit of addiction – to drugs or food or shopping or sex.  We could also have the spirit of anxiety and wanting all the luxuries of this life.  These things will demand too much of our attention.  We will miss the warning signs.

And, if we miss the warning signs, we may be taken by surprise.  To be on our guard means living as the Lord Jesus calls us to live NOW.  I know it is easy to be the procrastinator.  I can start living the righteous life when I start seeing the signs of Jesus’ return.  Yet, when we are distracted by our various spirits, we miss those signs that would be easy to see if we were living as we ought – as we were made to live.

You may ask: Well, what about my needs?  Yes, we have needs.  God knows it and will take care of us.  One of the needs is relationship with God.  We also need relationship with the children of God.  Relationship is hard.

This difficulty is why prayer is called for – prayer not for our wish lists but prayer for the change that we need in the very heart of our attitudes.  Make us strong, O Lord.  Bring us through safely so that we may stand before Jesus without shame.

All of this to the glory of the Name of our Lord!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out