Living Ready: Living While We Wait For His Coming

What if you knew exactly when your life would change forever? Would you live differently today?

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:35-40 that His return is not a matter of if, but when. And while we don't know the hour, we do know this: the way we wait matters deeply to God. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to call those who are found waiting "blessed"—a word that speaks not just to temporary happiness, but to deep, lasting contentment that comes from living in alignment with God's purposes.

The Ancient Images That Still Speak Today
Jesus paints three vivid pictures to help us understand what readiness looks like. Each one builds on the others, creating a comprehensive vision of watchful living.

First, He tells us to "gird our loins"—an ancient phrase that literally meant tucking your long robe into your belt so you could move freely and quickly. It's the ancient equivalent of rolling up your sleeves before diving into work. This image speaks to daytime readiness, the kind of preparation you make when you're about to tackle a project or serve someone. It's an active posture, not passive waiting.

Second, Jesus instructs us to keep our lamps lit. In the first century, oil lamps required constant attention. They would burn out every four hours if not refilled. Keeping your lamp burning meant you were ready to navigate the darkness, ready to respond at a moment's notice even in the middle of the night. In modern terms, think of it as keeping both your nightlight and porch light on—ready for action whether it's 2 PM or 2 AM.

Third, Jesus compares us to servants waiting for their master to return from a week-long wedding celebration. Unlike modern employees with set shifts and time off, these servants had no off-hours. Their duty was constant vigilance, always listening for that knock on the door, always prepared to welcome their master home. There was no "I'm off duty now" mentality—just continuous, joyful anticipation.

Notice what all three images have in common: they assume Jesus is coming back soon. Not in some distant, theoretical future, but imminently. At any moment. This should fundamentally shape how we live.

Living Like Time Is Short
When my family came to visit for a week, everything changed about how I used my time. I knew our days together were limited, so we crammed in Universal Studios, beach trips, horse races, and visits to Camp Pendleton. I made intentional time to play games with them, to have real conversations, to be fully present. Television watching dropped to nearly zero. Mindless social media scrolling disappeared. Why? Because I understood that time was precious and limited.

The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. If we truly believed Jesus could return at any moment, how would we restructure our days? What time-wasting activities would we cut? What important conversations would we finally have?

This isn't just practical time management advice—it's about restructuring your entire life around the belief that Jesus is coming back and we need to be found doing His work when He arrives.

Pull out your phone right now and look at your screen time report. What does it tell you about where your attention goes? Are you spending hours on entertainment and minutes on eternal things? What silly activity could you eliminate that's really just filling space in your life?

More importantly, what should you start doing? Maybe it's finally having that spiritual conversation with your neighbor. Perhaps it's joining a life group you've been meaning to join for months. Maybe God has been calling you to forgive someone, mend a broken relationship, start tithing, or step out in faith in some specific way—and you've been putting it off because, well, there's always tomorrow.

But what if there isn't? I want to be found obedient in any moment. I don't want to run out of time to obey God.

The Blessing of Being Alert
Here's what Jesus says will happen to those who are found waiting: "Blessed will be those servants the master finds alert when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them."

Jesus has a fascinating way of declaring people blessed. In Luke 6, He calls the poor blessed, those who hunger blessed, those who mourn blessed. These aren't the categories we typically use. We tend to think the rich are blessed, the successful are blessed, the popular and attractive and talented are blessed.

But Jesus says the alert person is blessed. The one watching and waiting for His return.
And the blessing isn't just warm feelings—it's a complete role reversal. The Master becomes the servant. The Lord of the universe girds His loins and serves those who were faithfully watching for Him. What an incredible picture of grace and reward!

This is the life God rewards: a life found waiting, a life that has developed the discipline of readiness, a life focused on things above rather than earthly preoccupations.

Let me illustrate. My wife loves a tidy, orderly house. I tend to thrive in slightly more chaos. When she's away and I'm home with the kids, we have a blast—finger painting, playing pretend, building obstacle courses with couch cushions. But I know she's coming home, so we make the effort to keep things in order. We scurry around like mice, picking up, organizing, preparing for her arrival.

And when she walks through that door? I'm blessed. She comes home refreshed, walking into an orderly house, and it's a beautiful feeling. There's peace and contentment in being found ready.

That's a small picture of what Jesus promises. When He returns, those found watching will experience a profound blessing—the deep satisfaction of having lived faithfully.

The Suddenness of His Coming
Jesus drives this point home with stark imagery: "If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

In ancient times, thieves would literally dig through the mud walls of houses. If you knew when they were coming, you'd simply wait by the wall to catch them. But you don't know. That's the point. Jesus' return will be sudden—middle of the night, early dawn, whenever—we simply don't know.

This means we must be continually watchful, not just occasionally alert. We can't live on spiritual adrenaline during Sunday services and then coast through the week on autopilot.

Cultivating Desire for His Return
Here's my honest confession: I'm not naturally focused on Jesus' return. I think about Christmas parties I need to plan, work meetings on Tuesday, goals for January. But Jesus coming back? It doesn't cross my mind much.

If I'm really honest, sometimes I think Jesus' return would ruin my plans. I want to see my kids grow up, get married, have their own children. I want to accomplish certain things. I even joke that I at least want to see the Chargers win a Super Bowl before Jesus comes back!

But that reveals misplaced desires. It's not wrong to want good things, but I need to have an eye toward heaven first.

One preacher put it beautifully: "Oh, if we loved our Lord as dogs love their masters, how we should catch the first sound of His coming, and be waiting, always waiting, and never happy until at last we should see Him!"

That's the heart posture we're after—joyful, eager anticipation.

Practical Steps Forward
How do we cultivate this readiness? Study all the biblical passages about Jesus' return.

Discuss them in your life group. Internalize what it means that Jesus is coming back soon.

Pray the Lord's Prayer daily. When you say "Your kingdom come," you're really saying "Lord Jesus, come back."

Regularly confess your sins, staying in close fellowship with God. Don't let anything create distance between you and your Savior.

The time is short. The urgency is real. And the life God rewards is the life lived watching, waiting, and working until He returns.

Are you ready?