Eternal Kingdom Living: Divine Alertness in a Distracted World
Eternal Kingdom Living: Divine Alertness in a Distracted World
Daily Reflection: Luke 21:34 — 12/6/2023
“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.” — Luke 21:34
When Christ came the first time, few people were aware of His presence. Think about that. God put on human flesh and came to dwell among humans, yet few were aware. We might think that people would know, perhaps intuitively. However, He was born in obscurity and grew up in relative obscurity. God with us, Immanuel… and we knew not.
We modern folk read the Bible, pointing accusing fingers at Jesus's contemporaries, as if we would have known. After all, our anachronistic reading of scripture makes His first Advent obvious to us. This hubris puts us in danger of being caught unaware at His second coming.
“No!? Surely it will be obvious to everybody! The Bible says so, right?”
“Right!?!”
Well, it says a lot of things, but when Jesus was asked about His second coming, His message usually moved away from dates and times and towards one of watchfulness and readiness.
“Be on guard,” says Jesus. Because the things that will keep us from seeing Him will not be our lack of theological precision or grasp of scripture, but what occupies our minds. It will be the fact that we're “weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life...” that will cause us to walk right by Christ without a sense of His saving presence.
This will be the case when Jesus returns, but it is also the case now. Christianity is weakened in the West precisely because Christ has been squeezed to the periphery of life. It's not for nothing that, of the grounds upon which the farmer in Mark 4 cast his seed, only 1 out of 4 was good soil. 3 out of 4 could not benefit much from the seed. Why? Distraction and competing loyalties.
Therefore, the watchword from Jesus is “Be on guard!”
Be on guard when you find yourself anxious and worrying about stuff, for Jesus says, “your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things” (Matthew 6:32). Be on guard when you find yourself obsessing over things, for Jesus says, “One thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). Be on guard when you find yourself wasting your time securing your life in this world, for Jesus says, “What will it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose their soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Be on guard! “Seek first, above all else, God’s kingdom and His righteousness.” For then you will see Christ, not only in His official second coming but wherever Christ is present. You will see Him in the child’s smile, the beggar's plea, the celebrating newlyweds, the overstressed teachers, the hopeless addict, the weary minister.
Christ is at the right hand of the Father, but by His Spirit, He is present everywhere. The watchful and ready spirit will perceive Him.
Make us sensitive, O God, to Your presence. Make us alert, O God, to that which seeks to distract us. Grant us the grace to say No to the empty but alluring things of the world and Yes to You and Your eternal Kingdom! In Jesus' name. Amen.
