If you want to make the best use of “the rest of your time,” live in the light of
the return of Jesus Christ. All Christians may not agree on the details of the
event, but we can agree on the demands of the experience. We shall
someday actually stand before the Lord!
If we are sober-minded, we will “watch unto prayer.” The word watch carries
with it the idea of alertness and self control. It is the opposite of being drunk
or asleep. This admonition had special meaning to Peter, because he went to
sleep when he should have been “watching unto prayer.”
You find the phrase watch and pray often in the King James Version of the
New Testament. It simply means to “be alert in our praying, to be
controlled.” There is no place in the Christian life for lazy, listless, routine
praying. We must have an alert attitude and be on guard, just as the workers
in Nehemiah’s day were.
An expectant attitude toward Christ’s return involves a serious, balanced
mind and an alert, awake prayer life. The test of our commitment to the
doctrine of Christ’s return is not our ability to draw charts or discern signs,
but is in our thinking and praying. If our thinking and praying are right, our
living should be right.
Verse for today: “Let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6).
Other Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-24; Mark 14:37-40; Ephesians 6:18.
Action assignment: Prepare a reminder that says, “Perhaps Today.” Place
it where you will frequently see it. Thank the Lord that someday He will
return.
Warren W. Wiersbe
www.backtothebible.in