“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34 NIV.
I watched, not participated, in a recent youth teen game in Cambodia. The goal was to sift through a bunch of flour to find a gummy bear. The catch? No hands allowed. This meant the kids would blow the flour away and then stick their mouth into the flour to grab the coveted prize to race back to your team and let the next person go.
This verse has a lot happening at the beginning that is very significant, but the prize is at the end. Jesus code word for his returning, “the day”. Jesus wants us to “be careful”, “watch out”, “take heed”, or “be on guard” concerning the arrival of “the day”.
Familiarity breeds contempt is a phrase that means we lose respect for something very familiar to us. This is true for warning signs while driving the same road, every day. Knowing that Jesus will be returning soon and acting like He is returning soon can be a very different way of living.
- When was the last time that you contemplated Jesus return?
- Do you have any urgency that “the day” could be soon?
- How would you structure your day differently if He was coming tomorrow, next week?
- What conversations would you include with others, before “the day”?
- Can you identify sources that create apathy regarding Jesus’ return?
The “delay” of his return is one of the leading reasons for us to become “lazy”. Andre’ Crouch encouraged us to remember His return in song.
Soon and very soon we are going to see the king. Soon and very soon we are going to see the king. Soon and very soon we are going to see the king. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We are going to see the king.
How soon do you think this will be? Really be?
Blessings, love y’all.