“Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth.” 21:34-35
Where is your mind at? I have to ask myself that question from time to time and I think that it is something we should all think through regularly. Jesus had just finished a long discourse about the end times, when things would come to pass, what His second coming would look like, and the state of affairs before He returns. Above all things, He emphasizes “watchfulness” and the need to be alert and prepared for the second coming. We know that each day which passes we get closer to His return, but in my life, I find it hard to sometimes stay focused on the “end game.”
Jesus says to be careful that your mind is not dulled from things like carousing and drunkenness. I can understand the way that alcohol, partying, and wild living can dull the senses and keep you from being prepared for His return. It makes sense to me that if you are living a worldly lifestyle you will be thinking about the world and not about the end of the world. I can see where you would be so focused on the physical pleasures of life that you fail to notice the importance of the spiritual life. Yet, He includes something else amazing in the list. Along with carousing and drunkenness, He says that the worries of life can also dull your mind to a point where the coming of the Lord catches you unprepared “like a trap.”
The bible has much to say about worry, but none of it is good. Worry is something that comes from a lack of trust and hope in God’s sufficiency. Also, it will consume our minds and hearts if we are not careful. Worry is when we allow the minor problems that occur from day to day to be at the forefront of our thinking. God doesn’t expect us to ignore things or not attend to our day to day affairs, but we must not let those things take first place in our life. First place is always reserved for Him, and those day to day concerns must also be under His Lordship. We walk with Him and we talk with Him about the worries of life and we release those worries to Him so that they are in His hands and not ours. Yes, we do our part but only under His guidance and direction. That is how we stay focused and always ready for His return. Over attention to the details of life can cause us to be blinded to the big picture as much as alcohol can dull our senses to the world around us.
