Friday, April 2nd, 2010 "Guard Duty"

Tsunami Ministries Devotional by Steve Keaton
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Title: "Guard Duty"
Text: Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

When I was in the Army, Guard Duty was just a way of life. All of us had to pull our shift and spend our time looking out for anyone and everyone who may come up on our location. During my time in "Operation Desert Storm" in the first Persian Gulf War, this took on an entirely new importance. Gone were the no-stress guarding of the perimeter while my recon platoon trained at Fort Hood, TX. The game had changed and it was all for real. We had to pay attention to our surroundings and truly be aware of any thing approaching us. There were a few occasions when our vigilance paid off. And because of some who took their shifts on guard duty seriously and did what they needed to do, it saved the lives of many other soldiers.

Unfortunately when we returned to the states after the conflict ended, many of my platoon members didn't stand guard with the same dedication and alertness they used in the Gulf. And from time to time, instead of being the top-notch, recon platoon we have become prior to and during our 8 months in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, we had become complacent and lazy. I get the feeling that Christ-Followers often get complacent as well. Sure from time to time we tend to go on High Alert and become a finely tuned instrument with our "Jesus Radar" working at its highest level. However, these tend to be the exception to the norm. Most of the time I find myself so distracted by everything else that is taking place around me, that Jesus could brush right past me during my walk through my crowded life that I would never even realize it was him.

We have been told in God's Word to get our eyes open and our souls alert for the return of Jesus. A return that is certain to occur. It is not like the paparazzi hoping to catch a glimpse of the hottest movie star. Instead it is a fact that Jesus will return, and we should be ready. Ready to see it and announce to the world that He is coming. Our hearts, minds and souls should crave this occurence. We should become like children waiting on Christmas morning, or a parent awaiting the arrival of their child's birth. The hard part is that we have no clue when Jesus will come riding in. And that is when our human and often impatient nature begins to rear its ugly head. That is when we begin to falter and drift away from that assurance, and towards the distractions of the world. The only way to make sure we stand firm and stay ready is to continue to assure ourselves and other Christ followers that this is our duty, our job and part of our calling.

So, what will we do in this regard? Will we enable ourselves to continue to be distracted by the world around us? Or will we stand in eager anticipation of the return of Christ? Keeping our eyes keenly fixed upon the sky, ready to announce to the world around us that "HE'S BACK!!!!" I don't know about you, but I'm heading to my post right now. I'll let you know when I see him.