Mark 13:33 (NIV)
“Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34: It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”
We live in a very precarious time now, so much so, that we can never take our basic comforts for granted. We don’t know the day nor the hour when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will return, but it’s our duty and responsibility to be ready, and to stay as alert as possible. God warns us to keep watch! We should all take this very literal. It’s like reading a road sign that says “Slow Down, Slippery Conditions Ahead!” Seeing this while driving immediately puts the driver on alert. It means extreme caution, eyes glued to the road. Well, Mark 13:33 is our road sign of warning on this Christian journey, alerting us to keep our eyes peeled to what God is warning us about. Some of us are getting too comfortable, and we may not be ready when the Lord comes back.
One area in life where many of us aren’t cautious or guarded enough is the area of relationships. We will sometimes allow our desire for love to take center-stage, and we throw caution to the wind. Keeping it real, we can all relate to the need to be loved. I’m not talking about that surface stuff. I’m referring to the deep yearning of our souls to have our empty space filled with the warmth of genuine affection. We will sometimes equate this feeling to that of physical intimacy. The danger in this is that we allow the need to have this emptiness filled to be our benchmark for feeling loved. We then look to a man to keep us filled up continually.
It truly isn’t in another person’s ability to fill us up. God created us to seek Him, and through Him we are filled. There’s a level of spiritual intimacy that is beyond anything that can be attained in this world. This intimacy with God is expressed in Ephesians 3:17. It says, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” We become distracted by men that aren’t the right fit for us because we look to plant our roots in shallow soil. God’s desire is that we plant them in Christ, where they will take root in good soil that will keep us strong and prepared for the future.
Heavenly Father wants us to keep a watchful eye on what we seek and who we seek it from, because the very act of seeking determines what fills us and who fills us. Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He’s coming back for a church that is ready, without spot or blemish, to receive him. Until he returns, our greatest ambition and heart’s desire must be to seek God and do all we can to please Him. Hebrews 10:23(NLT) admonishes us, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” God will take care of our every need according to His riches in glory. Hold on to this promise tightly and keep your eyes planted on Him to fulfill it. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Keep A Watchful Eye”, written and edited by Kim Times and Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.