Some days it isn’t getting out of bed that is hard…
It is staying awake for the rest of the day that takes everything out of us!
I think that one of the most amazing moments in a person’s life is the day they decide to follow Jesus, the second most amazing thing is talking to people who continue to pursue Jesus after the accept him in order to know him and love him. That adventure is full of ups and downs, and some days it s a battle.
Following Jesus is a life long journey that we must always be aware of, working on, and paying attention to.
““35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 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. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 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. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ”
The lamps that you and I must keep burning while we wait for Jesus to return are our individual personal relationships with him.
Jesus is going to come back one day, and when he does my prayer is that he finds a generation alive on the earth at that time awake and working about the fathers business and building and tending their relationships with Jesus. I pray that he won’t find a generation asleep and full of lethargy, lulled to sleep by distractions and culture.
Some ways we keep our lamps burning:
- Serving
I think that when we live our lives freely giving away what we have been given our hearts desire more. Jesus was constantly giving out the Kingdom of Heaven to those who desperately needed it. I love the interaction between Peter and John and a man who was crippled “Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6
Peter didn’t give the man money, he served him by releasing heaven into his life. Our hearts will burn for Jesus the more we live like him and lean into him for what we need to serve others.
- Praying
Prayer is not just about asking for things and for our food. Prayer is about entering into a conversation with the God who hung the stars and causes the Sun to rise and set each day. Prayer is an invitation into relationship and friendship. Prayer is about a conversation with a Father who is crazy about His kids!
The more I get to know Jesus in the place of prayer the more I desire for him to come back and the more I desire to live out the things that he is calling me to.
- Fasting
Fasting says, “I choose Jesus over my comfort.”
If you want to know Jesus like no one does, you have to do the things that no one else will do. If you want to live like no one else you must live like no one else.
“We don’t have to fast, we get to. When we fast in the natural, something happens in the supernatural. We abstain from food for a spiritual purpose. We go without the distraction of food to get closer to God.”
This isn’t a list of have to’s, it is some thoughts about things that help you and I stay awake on the earth while we wait for Jesus to return. When I am exhausted and want to stop and just sleep the thing that keeps me awake is keeping myself active. Serving, praying, fasting help us to be dressed and ready for service while keeping our lamps burning.