Watch Out!

Scripture: Luke 21:34-35

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. (Luke 21:34-35 NLT)

The last few weeks of Jesus’ ministry was full of warnings. In Luke 21, he warned of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and Judea that would happen in the lifetime of many of those listening to him as he spoke. This destruction happened just as Jesus said it would. In fact, all the terrible catastrophes he warned about were fulfilled to the letter with the destruction of Judea, Jerusalem, and the Temple in 70 AD.

We must remember that not everything in the Bible is written TO us. It’s all written FOR us, but some of it is written with a specific event, in this case an event in our past, in mind. It’s written FOR us to look and listen and learn, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, apply to our own lives.

He warned them not to lose the edge, not to lose the sense of purpose and destiny and consequence. His stories of servants trusted with their master’s wealth, of vineyards leased to tenants, of a nobleman going away and returning as a king, all spoke of the importance of not losing the edge of God-Awareness. Jesus warns, “Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping.” I would add:“…by business, busyness, recreation, self-medication by entertainment, excessive ambition, stress and anxiety…” – we could make quite a list!

For me, this is about not losing my God-Consciousness. I know how easy it is to lose the edge, to live as if no one is looking, nothing is going to change, none of it really carries beyond the funeral and the little service in the cemetery. But Someone is looking, and it really does carry beyond the job and the mortgage and the expectation of a nice retirement somewhere that’s warmer in the winter!

I’m a Jesus follower and a Kingdom of God person. My present purpose is to find and fulfill God’s plan – to live a life of service to God and others, to be God-Conscious each day, and to keep my expectation knife-edge sharp.

Prayer:

Father, Please help me not to let the sharp edge of my expectation be dulled by any of the short-term but very noisy and appealing components of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I’m living for more than those things and I want to remember that every day. Thanks for the reminder. Amen!