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Monday, January 20, 2020

Dressed and Ready {Luke 12}


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Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” (v. 37b)

Hold on a minute!  When Jesus returns, He will once again serve…….. those who are ready for His return.

Luke 12 is packed with warnings:

1)      Warnings to watch out for hypocrisy.  Don’t be afraid about how you will die, but where you will go after your earthly body dies. (1-12)
2)     Watch out about the greed in life – wanting stuff.  My dad always told me, ‘you can’t take it with you.’ (13-21)
3)     Don’t worry – about food and clothing.  God knows you need these things – He will always provide.  Our purses should be full of ‘treasures of heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (22-34)
4)     This parable is about being a prepared servant.  Minimally, we should pay attention to these first three warnings.  God is sovereign and He knows when He will send Jesus back.  But are you excited to die to this earthly life?  Are you excited to spend eternity with God? (35-48)

I have heard people say that they are not afraid to die, but ____________.  Fill in the blank.  They still have some things that are undone.  A vacation, or watching their children or grandchildren grow up.  Or simply they have projects they want to finish.  As my dad always told me, ‘you can’t take them with you.’

I think the focus on this parable is for those who know Jesus.  Jesus wants to find us doing what He has put us in charge of.  Here’s the thing – it looks different for you and I.  You may be a doctor.  How you care for people looks different than it is for me.  You may be a mom of young children.  Or you are a caregiver of aging adults.  Who Jesus has led us to throughout our lifetime will change.  I can’t help but recall a question a priest presented to me that will be asked of me when I die – “what have you done with what I’ve given you?”  Ever since I heard that, I have had that question come to mind from how I treat people to possessions.  They are all gifts from God.  Unfortunately, I haven’t always ‘done’ what is right.

So when Jesus returns, will I be given much or just a little?  What have I done with what I’ve been given?


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