Watchful Servant Christian

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at , or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.  Mark 13, verses 33-37.  There is a similar passage in Luke, Chapter 12, verses 42-47.

This passage helps me realize that I’m supposed to live the life God wants, all the time.  I could have a more self-involved attitude where I wanted to be worldly now, focusing my time and attention on earning the most I could, attending all-night parties, living life in the fast lane, with heavy drinking and recreational drugs, thinking I could focus my attention on my faith later on in life.
I might not ever get a second chance to do that.  I could be in an accident five minutes from now or the world could end.  Who knows?  Only God does and I may never get another chance to turn my life around.
Do you think the owner will continue to employ the servant who fell asleep while he was supposed to guard the owner’s home?  I doubt it.  Well, God wants us to live the life of a Christian all the time, not sometime later, when we feel like settling down a little more.  That time may never come.
This is in no way meant to imply people who have lived their lives in the fast lane can’t go to heaven.  The operative word is “lived.”  This means the person has made a choice to change their life around because of their faith in Jesus and start living the life of a Christian.  None of us knows when God is going to come for us, so we can’t put off these choices indefinitely and should be Watchful Servant Christians.  We need to put a lot of prayerful thought into whether we think God would be pleased with the life we are leading?

Here are some related passages:
*Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  Matthew 24, verses 35-36.
*Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Matthew, Chapter 24, verses 42-51.
*Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.  Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 13.

7/22/12 I have some new insights to add to this contrary to the comment that I originally posted:
The recent events in Aurora, Colorado have been on my mind in relation to these passages. I recently read in Romans 7 about what the Apostle Paul said in verses 20-25. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
If the Apostle Paul struggled with trying to live the life that God wants and found himself doing sinful things he wished he didn't do, we should draw hope from this. If Paul has salvation through Christ, because of his belief in the salvation provided by the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, I would assume that those who live in the fast lane and have an active relationship with Jesus as their Savior also have salvation-not that I can determine who has salvation or not.
My point was that some people living in the fast lane may put off developing a relationship with Christ and may never get another chance.  Does that mean that if we have a relationship with Christ and we smoke, party, do drugs, etc. we won't be saved? Fortunately, we have a very loving and forgiving God, but the previous passages make me prayerful about trying to ensure my lifestyle choices are aligned with God's will for me. Debbie Seiling

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Plan B Christian

And Jesus, answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  Mark, Chapter 11, verses 22-24.

This reminds me of how I ask God to take care of me, but I’m really establishing a plan in my mind of how to handle the situation or I’m continuing to worry about it.  It’s like I’m saying, “God, I want You to handle this situation but just in case You don’t take care of me, I will have a ‘Plan B’ ready or worry until it’s resolved.”  It’s just like telling God I don’t really trust Him to take care of me.  Instead of being a Plan B Christian, I need to be much more aware of displaying total trust in God to take care of my needs, concerns and my family. 

 Here are some related passages:
*If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  James, Chapter 1, verses 5-6.
*Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; It shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Matthew, Chapter 21, verses 21-22.
*And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? Luke, Chapter 11, verses 9-13.
*Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth: and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Or what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?  Matthew, Chapter 7, verses 7-11.
*And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.  And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.  Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are My people, saith the Lord GOD.  And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.  Ezekiel, Chapter 34, verses 28-31.

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Enough is Enough Christian

And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.  And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.  Mark, Chapter 11, verses 15-17.

I think this passage shows a time where even Jesus says through His actions, “Enough Is Enough!”  It really got me thinking.  Generally, I hide behind my Christian faith to justify my passive interactions.  In this instance, Jesus didn’t handle the situation in a passive manner.  It leads me to believe there are times that stronger actions are needed to get the point across!  Anything less, would be condoning the inappropriate behavior or situation.
This reminds me of a Cultural Diversity training my husband arranged for co-workers.  They were talking about being in a situation where someone is putting down others whether for racial, gender, sexual reasons or otherwise.  They said to just stand there and not say anything is the same as participating in the put-downs, because our lack of action condones that behavior.  They said people should actually take a stand and tell the ones making the rude comments that we find them objectionable and would prefer that they discontinue them immediately.
Now, the passive side of me that doesn’t want to stand out in a crowd has to come to terms with this one.  Not only am I drawing attention to myself, I am also risking the possibility that someone may get angry with me or disapprove of my opinion.  Jesus took an active stand on an important issue and I think that I need to work on being able to confront people who are belittling others, despite my insecurities.  Jesus didn’t stop and think, “Now, if I tell them to quit selling all their wares in the church, they may be angry with Me.  Maybe I shouldn’t risk this because they might not like Me anymore.”  He took action because He knew it was wrong!  I need to take action because I know belittling others is wrong! I need to be more of an Enough is Enough Christian, much more in keeping with what God wants of me.

 Here are some related passages:
*And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shalt be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.  Matthew, Chapter 21, verses 12-13.
*And He went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.  Luke, Chapter 19, verses 45-46.
*And the Jew’s passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise.  And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up.  John, Chapter 2, verses 13-17.

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Shoe Hog Christian

And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  and He said unto him.  Why callest thou Me good?  There is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments.  He saith unto Him, Which?  Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.  Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 16-26.
Now, it can be easy to ignore this passage and think that this just doesn’t pertain to me because I’m not rich.  Being rich is a relative thing.  (I wanted to say some corny thing about all your relatives coming around if you were rich.  Forgive me, but I couldn’t resist!)  Don’t you think those from a Third World Country would think that American’s on welfare are rich?  We have so much, but don’t realize it when we compare ourselves to others who seem to have so much more.
I think it’s about how all our stuff and the desire for more stuff, money or wealth interfere with our total focus on God.  Everything we couldn’t bear to put in a Salvation Army, Goodwill or other charitable bin has some control on us.  Its importance has worked a very subtle wedge in our relationship with God.
I was trying to think about which things might be excluded from this.  First, I thought about my toothbrush, because it seems like an essential item.  Then I thought that the disciples didn’t have toothbrushes when they followed Jesus.  If Jesus told me I needed to follow Him and be willing to give up my toothbrush I would need to, no questions asked.
Next, I thought about my shoes, because I thought they were essential.  I realize having 27-35 pairs of shoes in my closet right now for casual, work or dress wear throughout the year is highly questionable.  Well, I looked in the Bible and found this passage:
And the people asked Him, saying, What shall we do then?  He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.  Luke, Chapter 3, verses 10-11.
I think this is a good rule of thumb.  I don’t know much about the philosophy of those who write books about simplifying your life by giving up things, but it seems this passage would support the general principal of how things become too important to us.  There is no way I want the extra pairs of shoes I own to become a wedge in my relationship with God.
I was just thinking that instead of being a Shoe Hog Christian, I could get my shoes down to one pair of tennis shoes instead of five different types, a pair of dress shoes, etc. and give the rest to a charitable organization, I would be more in-tune with what God wants for me.

Here are some related passages:
*And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good?  none is good, save One, that is, God.  Thou knowest the Commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.  And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.  Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?  And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.  Luke, Chapter 18, verses 18-27.
*Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.  Psalm, Chapter 62, verse 10.

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Desensitized Christian

And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them.  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoso shall receive one such little child in My Name receiveth Me.  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe unto the world because of offences!  for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!  Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 2-7. 
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.  Matthew, Chapter 18, verse 10.
Usually, I interpret this passage to mean that we should have the faith of a little child in order to go to heaven.  This time, this passage was saying to me that the people who abuse children physically, sexually and emotionally better beware because God doesn’t want anyone hurting children under any circumstances.  I noticed that there are exclamation marks used in this passage a couple of times and I don’t see them used much in the Bible.  I take it to mean that Jesus is emphatically telling people to beware not to harm children.
It’s so sad.  The court systems are full of children who have been neglected and abused in one form or another.  What’s even worse is that some of these children have been abused by their own family members who are supposed to love them and protect them from harm.
What can we do as Christians?  We can make an effort to not become so desensitized to the needs of abused children because we see it so frequently in the news.  We can support legislators to enact laws to make it more difficult for the court system to let out pedophiles, rapists and aggressive criminals.  We can mentor a child who appears to need a little extra attention.  Going to read or play games with children in the Women’s Shelters can be beneficial, because these children need someone in their corner.  Additionally, it helps keep our children from becoming Desensitized Christians, as well. We can encourage our children to include others who appear to be loners.  This helps not only the isolated child, but it teaches our children to be sensitive to the needs of others instead of being “I”, “Me” focused.  The list of things we could do is endless.

Here is a related passage:
*Then said He unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Luke, Chapter 17, verses 1-2.
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
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