JESUS SPEAKING
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21: 34-36.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Jesus warned His followers to be ready for His return (second coming.) They were encouraged to remain focused on the future kingdom. The Lord acknowledges that human beings are prone to distraction, and so He addresses some of those distractions in this scripture. Every follower is cautioned against chasing after excess wealth and material possessions (the cares of this life.) All manner of sexual immoralitty and drunkeness are to be shunned as well. In this world, believers must deny their own wants and desires; placing others ahead of themselves. Whenever a person loses sight of the eternal, they inevitably begin to live selfishly; chasing after wealth, prosperity, and social standing; they indulge in their own wants and desires, often without restriction (they lay down the future to take hold of the present; whereas believers set aside the present distractions for their future hope.) Jesus likens the day of His return to a snare (a hidden trap designed to catch unsuspecting prey.) When that moment arrives, many people who aren’t prepared will be caught by surprise and separated from God. We need to be expecting Christ’s return every day and behave accordingly; avoiding any deadly distractions.
Text messaging is a relatively common practice in American culture today; it can be a wonderful tool that connects people. However, recently text messaging has been associated with a number of tragedies. All over the country people are more regularly text messaging while driving. The results have been disastrous. One very prominent case involved a plastic surgeon who was text messaging when he drove off of a cliff and tumbled to his death. You might ask, “What could have been so important that it was worth dying over?” Sadly, Dr. Frank Ryan was tweeting a message about his dog, who was with him in the car when he drove off the cliff; he died and his dog was badly injured. Dr. Ryan set out on a journey, but got distracted, and as a result he never reached his destination. So many people who believe in Jesus Christ start out on a journey toward an eternal destination, but never make it because they get distracted by some meaningless worldly pleasure or concern. This doctor wasn’t thinking that death would arrive at his doorstep when he was eating breakfast; he never imagined that would be his final car ride; he didn’t wake up in the morning and savor the sunrise knowing it would be his last. Yet death came for him quickly, and without sounding an alarm. Jesus as well, will come for each of us in like manner.
Today, we need to be expecting Jesus’ return. We need to avoid focusing on the passing cares of this life. We must not allow distractions to take our eyes off of Christ? How can we keep our eyes on Jesus and not get distracted? Firstly, the word of God is a road map that will help us to continue heading in the right direction. Reading the bible daily is essential for reaching our destination. Praying is another tool that allows God to guide and direct our lives. The key is to stay connected with God in our hearts. Also, fellowshipping with other believers is very important, as is ministering to non-believers. We should be talking to others about our faith and spreading the gospel. Anytime that we are following God’s commandments we will continue to move forward and keep our eyes on the eternal things. The best way to not do the wrong thing is to continually being the right thing. We need to give our whole lives to the Lord, making Him the central figure in our hearts; and on the day that He returns, we will not be surprised, or frightened; but rather we will be filled with joy when we contemplate the eternal life that awaits us.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we lift You up; You are worthy of praise and honor and glory. We ask that You would please help us to avoid distractions as we focus on the return of Your Son. By the power of Your Holy Spirit speak to us and give us the knowledge of Your will; may we find opportunities to serve You and to serve others. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, amen. God bless all of you!”
Jesus Speaks 