You may have heard the phrase, “there’s no rest for the wicked”. But I submit to you, in many respects, that can also be said of the righteous. Don’t misunderstand, I realize that we do find rest in the Lord. Jesus encourages us to find rest in him. But what I’m saying is that we never really take a break from being ready for the Lord’s return. We can never let our guard down, or lay down our Christian walk for a season. Luke chapter 12 verses 35 through the first part of 37 says:
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men 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. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.”
These are the words of Jesus. And a little bit further, in verse 39 he says:
“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. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “
Being ready can be easy if it becomes your lifestyle. But it can be difficult if you still have a foot in the world. I encourage you to be less and less like the world, and take on more and more of the character of Jesus. I believe that the more we become like Jesus, the easier it is to be ready for his return. Becoming more like Jesus is a sign of spiritual maturity; a sign of spiritual growth. We, as believers, shouldn’t stay in the same place with our Christian walk year after year. We should be growing. And the more we grow, the less scary this portion of scripture will seem because being ready will become second nature.
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Jesus tells us that we need to be ready for service, like men waiting for their master to return. He says that it will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I’m convinced that the more we become like Jesus, the easier this task will be to accomplish. Being ready isn’t so much a mindset as it is a lifestyle. I’m sure you can identify habits in your life, whether good or bad, that have become so much of who you are that you keep doing those things without even thinking. Even still, those things that have become easy for you, may be incredibly difficult for someone who hasn’t made it a part of their lifestyle. Growing in the Lord is a process that continues to transform our lifestyle. So I encourage you not to stay the same. Continue to become more and more like Jesus. If you do, your lifestyle will be such that you’ll always be ready and watching with less and less effort over time.