Jesus warns us to be alert. He says don’t be caught unprepared. Don’t be caught in the dark with no oil for your lamp (charge up that flashlight!). Don’t be like a homeowner who did not know when burglars would come. If you are the manager of the house, don’t be asleep when the Owner of the house returns home.
“Be on your guard, so your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly—like a trap…. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place” Luke 21:34-36.
What does Jesus name that causes people to be unprepared? Carousing (defined as “drinking alcohol and enjoying oneself in a noisy, lively way”), drunkenness, and worries.
Isn’t that an interesting list? Carousing and drunkenness fit together naturally. But the third item is the “worries of life.” This sounds like one of those childhood sorting games that begins: “Which of these is not like the others? Carousing, drunkenness, and worries.”
Worries of life seem to have nothing in common with the totally carefree mindset of carousing and drunkenness. But Jesus puts the three together, naming them as three things that dull your mind. He seems to say that when you let your worries distract you, you might as well be drunk—you have totally lost your focus.
Does that sound harsh? This is not a statement of judgment. No one is being condemned. But Jesus is warning us: keep your eyes on Me and My word. Don’t turn aside to the left (alcohol) or to the right (worry)—because both of them will dull your minds, and I don’t want you distracted.
Instead, “Be on the alert at all times, PRAYING that you may have strength….”
Dear God, show us those things that distract us. Help us lay them down and focus on you. Help us to be ALERT at all times and to pray and seek You in all things.
Read Luke 21.
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Household Words: 