City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe.

The Word

Watchfulness

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants 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. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

-Luke 12:35-40 ESV

Reflection

At any airport, you’ll find beaming loved ones waiting to receive family or friends they’ve been apart from for any amount of time. These folks are expectant. They scan the airport displays for the flight, watching earnestly for their person or people, because they want them to know one thing: of the thousands of arriving passengers, we are ready and here for you.

Jesus instructed his disciples to be similarly ready for His return; we are to be “dressed ready for service and [to] keep [our] lamps burning” (v. 35) while He is away. He has sent us to preach the Good News, which if we are doing means we are already dressed for service (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus also used nighttime – when we naturally struggle to be alert – to depict what His return would be like (v. 38-40) warning that because we don’t know when He will arrive, we should remain watchful.

He also gave a joyous reason to expect His return. Twice, He said it will be good (Blessed) (v. 38; 39) for His servants that He finds expecting His return, because He will serve them! I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like but that is an incredible thing that by God’s grace, I want to experience.

Application

We will wrestle with this life’s demands on our attention, to cultivate an expectation of Jesus’ return, but thank God that He does not leave us to fend for ourselves (John 14:18).

In Jesus, we have God’s Holy Spirit who is the Helper and the Spirit of Truth, who will teach us all things, and bring to our remembrance all that Jesus has said (John 14:16-17; 26).

Let us submit to Him to help us expectantly follow the Lord Jesus daily, until He returns.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to turn from the things that distract me from You and the great commission. Please help me to live expectantly for Jesus’ return. In Jesus’ name, amen.