A busy day, Father, that was full of responsibilities. I am glad these days only come a couple of times a year. But with some venting on my part, I have completed my tasks. Thank you for enabling me to get it all together!
Luke 12:35-40 (<<click here to read the passage)
The way our house is situated, if I sit on the east side of our dining room table, I get a clear view of our driveway. So, when we are expecting company, be it family or people providing us with their services, I will sit here and be aware of their arrival.
I could sit in the living room where my line of vision is obscured by curtains or I could work in the office which is at the back of the house. But if I want to really be ready for my guests I have to be in the right spot at the right time.
One thing Jesus spoke of repeatedly was in regard to His return. I’m sure it was a little confusing for His followers. He talked of leaving often, and they didn’t really understand that either. But His desire was for them – and for us – to be ready when that day comes. We don’t know when He will come back but we know for sure that He will return. He speaks only truth; we can bank on that!
So, what do we need to do to be ready? Like when I sit at my dining room table, there are things that we can do to be alert and ready for when that time comes. Here’s a great list from the notes of my study Bible*,
People who are ready for their Lord’s return are

(1) not hypocritical but sincere (12:1)

(2) not fearful but ready to witness (12:4-9)

(3) not worried but trusting (12:25-26)

(4) not greedy but generous (12:34)

(5) not lazy but diligent (12:37)

Everything He has said has been leading up to this point. His speaking has been chock-full of hard-hitting, attention-grabbing illustrations. And now He wraps it all up by emphasizing that we need to apply all of these things in preparation for His arrival to come back for us!
So, Lord Jesus, I have to ask myself, “Am I sincere? Am I ready to witness? Do I trust You? Am I generous? Am I diligent?”
It’s easy to be flippant and spout off, “Yep, I’m ready!” But these are all serious actions on our part. The hard part is that we can’t pick and choose what we want to abide by and what we would rather not worry about. We can’t abide by His directives on occasion when we feel like it, and then do what we want all the rest of the time.
This last illustration involved a servant being ready for his master whenever he returned. He didn’t know when that was going to be, he just knew the master was going to be coming. Don’t you think it would be easy to fiddle around with other things or maybe take a nap at the very least? At my age staying up late is a challenge, even if something interesting is going on but just waiting on someone would be tough.
Lord Jesus, help me to focus. Help me not to be slack in my following You. May I be consistent throughout every day of my life, with every person I encounter, in every circumstance in which I find myself. May my life be more like Yours so that when You come, I’ll be ready to greet You joyfully! Amen.

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

Aug 11th, 2020, Tues, 9:27 pm