Daily Vigilance

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36:

Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Blog:

Jesus tells us in the Gospel to be vigilant at all times and to pray for the strength to escape the tribulations that are coming at the end of days.  But how can someone be so vigilant as to escape God’s wrath?  It’s really quite simple, but this world makes it incredibly hard.  Vigilance is knowing God (through His Word) and knowing who we are in Christ while obeying His Commandments.  If we don’t know God (and who we are in Him), how can we ever expect to Trust Him?  If we don’t Trust Him, how can we ever expect to Listen to Him?  And, if we don’t Listen to Him, how could we ever expect to Obey Him?  Vigilance is the end result of the three steps of Listening, Trusting, and Obeying…call it a “triune vigilance”.  If we’re far apart from God, we can start our journey to vigilance by learning about God – by seeking Him.  If we’re “lukewarm” in our relationship with God, we can rediscover our relationship with Him by Speaking with Him.  If we’ve got Jesus in our hearts, we can seek to deepen our vigilance in Him, because we can never assume to be “vigilant enough”.  We’re all running out of time – that is a Promise.  Our lives and this world are finite and nobody knows when either will end.  C.S. Lewis encourages us in this regard when he said, “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day.”  So, let’s be sure to focus on our vigilance in Christ each and every day.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and all roads to Heaven pass through Him.