Worry, Worry
Luke 21: 34
Watch out! Don’t let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness and filled with the worries of this life.
In this passage, Jesus was teaching about his return. He said the good servant would be on his guard, watching and preparing for the return of the Lord. No one will be surprised that Jesus warned of laziness and drunkenness. When he returns, you wouldn’t want to be caught being slovenly and indulgent. What I do find surprising is that he warned that we not be found “filled with the worries of this life.”
How is it that Jesus included being filled with the worries of life with drunkenness and laziness? How many of us would have thought they all weighed the same in Jesus’ mind? Paul reminded us, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth,” (Col. 3: 2). Paul and Jesus convey a sense that our Christianity is an active, ongoing process. We often preach it as the method for avoiding hell, but it is so much more than that, even while here on earth. As followers of Christ, there is an implication that we are to be doing something. So, Christianity is not simply avoidance, such as the avoidance of sin. It is the active pursuit of Christ. When Jesus returns, he wants to find us actively engaged.
What does that look like in our lives? I have a friend who has engaged with Christ through prayer, reading and journaling every day for five years. So cool! That is 1825 days, 260 weeks, 60 months. He is in hot pursuit of Jesus! I imagine Jesus, on any day, turning around and very confidently and happily saying, “There he is!”
He is giving us all a beautiful model to emulate, but let me say, this is not a new law. Jesus set us free from the rule of law. No, this is about pursuit of the one you love. It’s not even about knowing the Bible. Instead, the Bible reveals Jesus so it is a tool in the quest to know Jesus, not to know about him, but to know him. I find it inspirational, and I pray you do too.
Everyday presents us with cares to be dealt with but Jesus hopes that when he comes back, he will not find our hearts and minds filled with the cares of this world. Perhaps we can take those cares to the Lord and ask him to sort out those things so that we can keep our hearts and minds on him.
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Be blessed and bless the Lord.
