Readiness Rewarded
“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” -Luke 12:47-48, NLT
One of the unescapable ideas in the New Testament, and especially in the Gospels is readiness as it relates to Jesus’ return. There are warnings, like in Luke 12:47-48 and unvarnished calls for preparedness, like Luke 12:35. And whatever form the instruction takes, the heart of it is that we would be ready for the return of the King, however sudden or unexpected. And this is where, if we think on it, the rub is. How do we prepare in advance for something to happen when we don’t know when the thing is happening? The short answer is, we must always be ready. This then forms a better question: How is one always ready? It’s not complicated. Do the work the Master has given you to do. Do it with diligence and urgency and, if given tomorrow, do it again and then again the next day. The temptation is that we sink into a rut of simply passing the time, or worse still, we become those who ignore entirely their directives. We become the wicked and lazy servants whose distinguishing characteristic is not just ignorning the assigned tasks but becoming destructive to others. So again, the key is going to be staying focused on the assigned tasks. We must fully devote ourselves to loving God and loving others from the deepest part of who we are. We cannot give way to materialism, worry or public opinion. We must be obedient to Jesus, whatever the cost in this life. One of the key factors in this kind of readiness is surrendering each day to Jesus at its outset. Seeking to do His will by the power of the Holy Spirit instead of chasing our own goals. If we stay faithful to the King, when He returns, or calls us home, we will find His reward to be rich beyond our wildest dreams. So, if you’ve grown stagnant or off mission, use this moment to refocus. Get back on mission. And then, stay on mission; refusing any posture except readiness.
Questions for further discussion/life application:
· What have been times of readiness in your life? What factors contributed to your readiness level? What has changed since then?
· What is the biggest hurdle to your being ready for Jesus’ return?
· How do you balance readiness (diligent service for King Jesus) in a way that keeps you from frantic activity? What unhelpful behaviors can you see if you look back in your life to a season of frantic activity?
· How can you encourage someone else to be ready?
Blog Bonus:
A video to motivate: This story is one of mission readiness that calls us to be busy for the King until He returns or calls us home
A whole sermon on Luke 12:13-34 can be found here its titled, “Generous Stewards” and was preached on November 5, 2023.