Dressed For Action
Luke 12:35-48
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come son a day when he does not expect him and sat an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
In today’s passage we see Jesus encouraging the disciples to remain ready. In verse 35 it reads “stay dressed for action” what a stark reminder for us today.
Many people have to dress for the type of work they are called to firefighters, police officers, construction workers, doctors, nurses and on and on the list goes.
We can relate to the truth of being “dressed for action and [to] keep our lamps burning”; so the call to remain alert for the work is clear, but are we truly ready?
The Apostle Paul writes to us in the Epistle to the Ephesian church about putting on the whole Armor of God to be able to “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Cf. Eph 6:11).
Here Jesus is encouraging the disciples and thankfully due to Apostle Peter (Cf verse 41) we know it’s for us as well; that we too must remain ready for the task before us. Jesus tells them when remain faithful we shall be “blessed whom the master finds awake when he comes” (verse 37).
Christ has called us to specific task that only we can accomplish yet there is a penalty (verses 39-40) for our refusal to serve where He has placed us.
When you realize that Christ has redeemed us from death, hell, and the grave why wouldn’t we serve Him? To many times we get into a mode where all is well and we simply let things coast by us.
Christain never let it be said that we let the work of God pass us by but instead let us remain dressed for action; ready for the Son of Man and His glorious appearing - Amen.