Watch and Pray
Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Luke 12:37
This passage is a little disturbing to me, but mostly exciting. It says that the Master (Jesus) could come back at anytime. Then it goes on to say: don’t let Him catch you sleeping. Not that I sleep in a lot, but there are occasions when I do get up later than usual. It makes me consider, what are my priorities?
Today’s reading instructs us to be ready at any time, all the time for our Master to return. If I think about how that would look, I of course, would be on my best behavior all the time, ready to be taken away with Him, but also ready for inspections and my life’s activities and responsibilities put in order. Though it is a part of kingdom living to steward our time and property well, there are those times that my guard is down.
The passage commands us to pay attention by watching and praying. Yes, we see the things happening in the world today and hear how the evil seems to be growing, but that is not for us to focus on. We are to watch and pray for His return and see that we keep our own “house” in order. If we knew that He was coming back today, what would we be doing? If we knew it was a week or a month from today? I know for me; I would be making sure that His work and His plans were being done each day so that I would be ready when He did arrive.
That is how we watch and pray. Watch that we are keeping God’s kingdom and righteousness first and number one priority and pray for the grace to lead others to watch and pray also. Rescuing the lost and making His agenda our agenda.
Today I want to encourage you to watch and pray. Watch, so that you are not caught off guard and unprepared when He comes. Watch by seeking His plans first each day. He wants to lead you in that perfect path of righteousness, but you must start out by fully trusting and following His lead each day. Second, take time to pray. Not just a quick “Good morning God, watch over me and protect throughout the day” prayer, but an earnest surrender to His plan for the day, kind of prayer. Determine to accomplish down to the last detail your entire missions before He comes to take us all home.
Today’s scripture reading: Luke 12:35-48
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
The Daily Dose 