“WATCHFULNESS”
I think
everyone will agree that a safe driver is one who watches the road ahead of
them, the side roads and what is coming up behind them. We are all concerned
with being a safe driver because we don’t want to injure ourselves or anyone
else or even worse would be involved in an accident that involves death. It
amazes me how we are so careful with our physical lives and yet so many are
careless with their spiritual lives. Why are we so watchful with our physical
lives yet so careless with our spiritual lives? If we were to only practice a
little “watchfulness” in our spiritual lives we would be a lot better off and
certainly more pleasing to God.
Friends,
we have a very good example of “watchfulness” in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: [Matt 26:38] “Then saith he unto
them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and
watch with me.” Please notice that Jesus is not leaving “watchfulness” to
His disciples alone, He says “watch with Me.” You would think that after receiving such a command from
Jesus that they would comply; wouldn’t you stay awake and watch if Jesus told
you to do so? But they didn’t: [Matt 26:40] “And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them
asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” As
is so often the case with us today Jesus is the only one who is watching after
our eternal well being.
On another occasion
Jesus gave a direct command to be watchful: [Mark 13:37] “And what I say unto you
I say unto all, Watch.” It would be
extremely difficult to get anymore direct than this! Jesus knew full well the
dangers we all face from Satan, He knows that Satan is seeking to “devour” all
of us: [1 Pet 5:8] “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Again I would direct your attention to the words of Jesus
in
We also have
exhortations from inspired writers to be watchful; there are the words of Paul:
[1
Thess 5:6] “Therefore let us not
sleep, as do others; but
let us watch and be sober.” We know how dangerous it is to go
to sleep at the steering wheel but why is it we are not as watchful in our
spiritual life? We also have a stern exhortation from the apostle Peter: [1
Pet 4:7] “But the end of all
things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” Not only does Peter give us the good advice to be watchful
he also gives us the advice and exhortation to pray! If you should need help in
being watchful it is available through prayer!
Going
back to the book of Isaiah we also are told to be watchful: [Isa 62:6] “I
have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make
mention of the LORD, keep not silence,” I suppose that you might say that this
command to be a watchman is referring to the preacher and it certainly does;
however, are not all Christians to spread the gospel, the good news concerning
Jesus Christ? If you are not telling others that they too can have salvation
through obeying the gospel’s command you are not being very watchful! We cannot
“hold our peace” neither “day nor night.” What do you think would happen if
everyone were to take this advice seriously? Just because it is found in the
Old Testament does not mean that we are immune to it.
Brethren,
we would all be better off if we were more watchful. Not only would we as
individuals be better off so would the Lord’s church be stronger and better
off!
-Bud