Daily Devotional for Monday 8th July
Waiting
Have you ever been frustrated by waiting? Phoning your bank and finding out you’re 34th in the queue, being stuck in a traffic jam on the M6 on your way home from a long day, or waiting in a waiting room before a job interview. Waiting can often be a passive activity. Waiting for something to happen and clock-watching until you get the call to be activated from your slumber.
This isn’t the kind of waiting Jesus is talking about. The bible says that we will be going to heaven or Jesus will return one day Hebrews 9:27-28 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Our waiting in this moment isn’t passive, it’s practical, it’s productive, it’s not lazy, it’s enthusiastic and it’s fulfilling. When Jesus says “Be on guard! Be alert!”, this requires us to keep looking, to have things ready. So how can we be on guard and alert for Jesus’s return? How can we make sure we are ready for when our master returns?
1. Wear the armour of God (Ephisians 6:10-20)
If we are to guard what God has called us to protect, we must be well-equipped. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. This isn’t light Sunday school material, this is warfare against the spiritual aggressors that want to take our attention away from God and onto our shame destroy our peace, and disarm us to derail our faith. Be ready for spiritual warfare.
2. Practice in the waiting (Matthew 6:6)
Jesus calls us to pray in our rooms, close the door, and pray to our Father in heaven. It can be so easy to when we are on our own to kill time, read a novel, watch a film, scroll on our phones, or play a game. Jesus is desperate for your time. I know this because why on earth would He die for you to then say “great, now get on with life by yourself”. No! He yearns for your time. If you have children, you’ll know what it’s like when your child phones you to say “I have a spare 10 minutes, fancy a chat?” It’s a beautiful moment as a parent. You long for these phone calls. Our father in heaven is the same. When we lock ourselves away and say “Hey God, I have a spare 10 minutes, fancy a chat?” He is so excited, He’s a jealous God just like we are for our children. He wants us for Himself and delights in us when we set time aside for Him.
3. Watch (Philippians 3:17)
Jesus calls us to watch. But watch what? Watch the latest Netflix series everyone is raving about. Watch the news to see what's going on around the world. Watch the Euros football? Although all of these things are not bad, but they are not what Jesus is talking about. Jesus wants us to watch what the Holy Spirit is doing around us.
If you are playing rounders or cricket, you watch the ball. You don’t take your eyes off it. You focus on who is holding it, when they throw it, how fast it’s coming at you if it has any spin and you strike it based on all the information we get whilst the ball is travelling through the air. If we are not watching, how are we expected to strike the ball at the right moment? In the same way, we watch the Holy Spirit, what he is doing, and how he’s affecting those around us. We can do this by what Paul says to the Philippians in Chapter 3 - “Keep your eyes on those who live as we do”. Watch the good that others are doing, support them, get behind them, lift them up, and pray for them. Get behind what the Holy Spirit is doing and we in turn will follow Him.
Time to reflect…
How do you spend your time waiting on Jesus? How can we be ready for when Jesus comes again?
Pause to pray…
Jesus, thank you that you love spending time with us. Help us set time aside each day for you and help us focus our lives on your Holy Spirit so we can see what work you are doing around us and be in tune with you. Father, help us put on the armour of God so we are protected against the enemy’s schemes. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
