Keep Looking Out

Mark 13: ³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

============

“Watch the food” said someone from another room. “Um Hmm” was my response but the message was clearly not received. I soon smelled something burning. I ran over to the stove only to see charred food. “Ohhh, I was supposed to watch the food” I realized in dismay.

• Being distracted can make me unaware.
• Being unaware can cause me to daydream.
• Daydreaming may cause me to miss something.

JESUS gives HIS final warning summarized in one word, “watch.” HE is referring to the ultimate demise of the earth, but it goes on a deeper level. JESUS also knows that life is fleeting and there is a specific day and time appointed for every human to die.

• GOD says to me “Watch for me daily.”
• GOD says to me “Stay on guard and do not get weary.”
• GOD says to me “Keep trusting because I AM with you always.”

Losing faith and giving up can cause me to fall asleep to GOD’s amazing works. When I fall asleep I cannot hear HIM or see HIM. I cannot be amazed rather I fall into feeling devastated. GOD says “Watch!” When I do watch, I notice GOD all around me. I can see HIS deliverance and protection and love. When I watch, I can see.

• Have your senses gotten dull?
• Have you lost your way and are blaming GOD for where you are?
• Can you take time today to quiet down and watch for GOD?

You are what you “see.”

Luke 11: ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

============

Huddled around a hole gouged in the locker room wall that separated our dressing area from the girls, we took turns peeping making us late for our next class. Pervert! Standing around complaining because everyone else was, so I joined in. Complainer! Joining in on the mob to take “that” person down. Backstabber! And the list goes on.

• I become a creep if I watch a steady diet of creepy things.
• I become a violent person if I watch violence as a regular diet.
• I become a bully if I watch and admire other bullies get their way.

Sometimes I have to turn the TV off! I mean to get away from the depressed news, over indulgent sensuality, compassionless sarcastic humor and over exaggerated violence. I found I needed “silence” to heal my soul because I saw too many negative things that wounded and harassed my spirit. I was becoming the things I watched.

• In order to be compassionate, I need to see examples of compassion.
• In order to be loving, I need to see examples of love.
• In order to be caring, I need to see people who need to be cared for.

I can’t always hide from the sewage spilling into my mind, but I can purposefully seek a break from it in order to serve GOD the way HE wants to be served. When I look at whatever is good, lovely, pure and kind, I find all burdens, fears, worries and doubts to go away. I can then praise GOD!

• What are you looking at?
• Is the thing you are looking at causing you to lust or stumble?
• Can you take time to stop looking at that for a moment?
• Will you seek to look at someone serving?

Watch out!

Matthew 26: ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

============

“LORD if YOU would just get me out of this situation, I will never to ‘that’ again” are the empty words I have used several times with GOD.  I said these words to manipulate GOD into not punishing me for the sin I had just done.

• When I lie my SPIRIT cries out yet I lie anyway.
• When I lust my SPIRIT cries out yet I lust anyway.
• When I am lazy my SPIRIT cries out yet I am lazy anyway.
• When I am lost my SPIRIT cries out yet I remain lost anyway.

Temptation to sin is like falling into a sticky gooey substance with dirt and junk blowing around getting stuck to me. No matter how hard I struggle it seems like stuff just stick to me.

• In order to avoid temptation I need to watch where I go.
• In order to avoid sin I need to pray for help.
• In order to avoid the traps laid out before me I need to watch out.
• In order to avoid GOD’s judgment on me I need to pray for HIS forgiveness.

“Watch and Pray” are GOD’s words to clean me up while avoiding the pitfalls of life that I can easily fall into. HE wants me to understand myself and know what tempts me in order to stay away from that thing. HE knows if I were around “that” temptation I would easily fall into the sin.

The best thing for me to do is stay far away from that temptation by “watching” out for it and “praying” for GOD’s strength.

• Are you falling into the same sin over and over?
• Do you feel discouraged that you are doing that sin again?
• Can you believe GOD has forgiven you for all your sins?
• Can you relax your mind enough to replace discouragement with “watching” and “praying?”

What are you "looking" for?

Mark 13:32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It'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. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

====================================

Hope. What a funny word. It seems like it can be lost and found. I know I have lost hope many times and it did not seem like things were going the way I had planned.

When I plan things out, I see exactly how I want everything to work. I can envision the outcome and get excited about executing my plan. But sometimes my plans keep me from doing the main thing GOD wants me to do namely, look for HIS return.

GOD said to "Be on guard! and Be alert!" HE never said to stop living but keep one eye on my life and one eye on HIS. To "Be on guard" means to know what could go wrong in life. It means to have a healthy view of life that things will go wrong and we are not supposed to fall to pieces.

When I believed that JESUS died in place of me because of my sins, I became an enemy of Satan. GOD allows him to tempt and taunt humans with the pleasures of this world. Many times I saw the nice shiny things of the world and I took my eyes off of GOD.

GOD wants us to remain focused on HIM and our eternal life. BE on guard against taking your eye off the prize.

The next thing GOD says is to "Be alert!" Being alert means things can change any moment. I can be praising GOD one minute and questioning HIS actions the next. I have to be ready to put into action the things I have learned about HIM at a moment’s notice.

That person could say the wrong thing or do the thing you despise the most. By being alert, I can control my actions "when" things blow up. It means I need to be prepared to hand out grace and mercy at a moment’s notice.

I sin and so do you and I know the HE will return soon. I keep thinking to myself, "When the last second ticks away, what would I like GOD to catch me doing?"

Imagine GOD returning during that argument, or lust filled thought or deceitful act. I cringe just thinking about GOD returning in the middle of my sin. The problem is sometimes I get too comfortable being here on earth and I don't think HE is ever going to return.

I have heard people say that CHRIST would not return for them in their lifetime and I say they are crazy. JESUS said plainly that HE is going to return and we are to watch for the signs of HIS return. The more comfortable I get on this planet, the less I watch for HIS return.

• When I watch for GOD my arguments are shorter.
• When I watch for GOD my sense of urgency goes up regarding telling people about HIS SON.
• When I watch for GOD I never get comfortable with the things of this world.

GOD knows the pleasures of life can blind me. Once I get a taste of these pleasures HE knows I will struggle to stay focused on HIM. It’s not that HE wants me to be boring and never enjoy life, rather HE wants me to know that this life is temporary.

I should trust that HE is building an eternal life for me that includes a "never ending" growth of excitement with each day being better than the last. This should be the thing I am "looking" for. But while I am still on earth, I should be looking to love HIS humans and point my life to HIM.

• What are you seeking in life?
• Are you working hard just to make ends meet?
• Are you putting all of your time towards achievement or title?
• Have you tasted the pleasures of this world and desire more?
• Are you looking up at the stars wondering which day HE will return?