Waiting well: Living like we believe

"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You, too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." (Luke 12:39-40 NASB)

Our Waiting Well series began a with a post on serving faithfully, followed by keeping our lamps lit, waiting for the bridegroom to return from the marriage feast, our response to His knock, and the response of Christ to us when we open the door to His knock. Yesterday, we considered the importance of being ready to serve in the night watches.  (Click on the link to read the earlier posts.)

In the six verses considered in the Waiting Well series, Jesus repeatedly said, "Be ready, Be ready." He had't gone back to heaven yet, but already He was preparing His disciples for His return. Be ready. I'm coming when you don't expect it. Be ready.

I'm ready to hear something else. My heart says, "Enough!" And then I remembered something important. When Jesus repeated Himself, it was for a reason. 

In this instance, He understood that our tendency is to become so wrapped up in our own little worlds, our own little lives, that we forget about our big eternal lives and our enormously powerful King who will return for us one day. 

We forget that this life we are living is not all the living we will do.

Last night, as I prepared for bed, I checked all the doors and locked them. I don't expect a thief or a home invasion, but I locked my doors to prevent that possibility. Every single night, I lock my doors against that possibility. The doors aren't always locked in the daytime, especially if I'm moving in and out from house to barn. You can be sure they'd be locked though, if I knew a thief was headed my way.

With that same preventive expectation, we need to be ready for Jesus. Consistently prepared. 

I'm ready to move on to different Scripture. These "being ready" verses seem so... same.

Today, I realized something new. Jesus hammered this point because He wants us to live with eternity in mind. To be intentional.

I locked my doors with a thief in mind.  

What if we lived our lives, made our choices, our routines, with eternity in mind? How would it change our actions? Our words? 

Would we say the same things, do the same things, if we thought Jesus would arrive on the scene for us before the words were out, the action completed?

This emphasis on being ready was for a reason. We are to live ready. The promise of eternity should change everything we do, mold every word we speak.  

Our King is coming, and we should be living like we believe it. 

When the world sees us, they should see people who expect their Sovereign King to split the sky and step into view at any moment. Let's be sure they do.

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Our Father, who lives and reigns in Heaven, help us to live as if you were returning today. Let us show the world how the hope of eternal life in Christ changes everything. In Jesus' name, Amen.