The Challenge of Inconvenience
Luke 12: 35 - 38
35 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
Jesus declares that those who serve and wait for His return are blessed. Unlike those who sit around enjoying the good life, these servants are actively devoted to Him. They haven’t given up and gone to bed because the Master was taking a long time to return. Their waist is girded; a picture of readiness in the natural, and their lamps are burning (v.35). Burning lamps not only represent readiness day or night, but also a drawing upon the oil of the Spirit.
This picture contrasts sharply with the culture we live in. For many, work is an inconvenience that simply enables a lifestyle. We do what we must yet seek the comfort of the convenient and easy. Our desire for convenience means going with the flow, avoiding hard choices, difficult decisions, unpopular opinions, and restricting priorities. It also means creating no waves, making little progress, living without a dream, and ultimately leaving no legacy.
Kingdom living however, is not about convenience. A kingdom has a king. Although ours is a king of love, He a king, nonetheless. The thing with kings is that they come first, not last. They command allegiance and expect to be obeyed. Usually they reward faithful service, but that is an expression of their character, rather than an obligation of their office.
It is in the place of inconvenience that our heart is revealed. Will we choose what we want or yield our will to His? Who has priority in our choices and lifestyle – Him or us? Obedience is easy when we want to say yes. Devotion is only revealed however when we would rather say “no.”
The God we serve placed two trees in the garden. Only the possibility of a wrong choice made the right choice noteworthy and valid. Our choice to love and serve God regardless of the cost and despite the inconvenience defines who we are. The people of God are known by the One they choose to serve and the choices they are willing to make.
Nathan Hale, a captain of the Continental Army, is remembered for saying, “My only regret is that I have but one life to give …” His were words of patriotism; ours are ones of devotion. We have but one life and we get to choose who we give it to. Such an awareness challenges our complacency, defines our legacy, and shapes our eternity.
David declared, “I will not offer to the Lord, that which costs me nothing” (1 Chronicles 21:24). Ornan the Jebusite would have freely given David the threshing floor to make an offering to the Lord. However, it was David’s refusal to accept the offer and settle for the convenient that marked the spot and defined the man. Second Chronicles reveals that it is here on the threshing floor of Ornan, that the temple of the Lord was built (2 Chronicles 3:1).
The Lord honours sacrifice. This is not a purchasing of favour or a manipulation of His intent. It is simply the reality that God honours those who honour Him (1 Samuel 2:30).
We are privileged to be His friends, but we are also His servants. As such He expects that our waist be girded, and our lamps burning (v.35). Being prompt to obey and attentive to His voice, brings incredible blessing. In fact, the reward for such a lifestyle is staggering. Jesus states that the Master will gird himself and have them sit down and eat, and he will come and serve them (v.37). John 13:3,4 reveals that Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, picked up a basin and towel, and washed the disciples’ feet. Similarly, the One who is Lord of all and to whom our service and devotion belongs, will come and serve those who have served Him.
We can live for ourselves, or we can live for Him. The choice is confined to the now, but the consequences of our choices are eternal. In Psalm 90:12, Moses prays, “Lord, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Wisdom is knowing that life is short and eternity long. We can settle for the comfortable and easy knowing that our heavenly Father is good and longs to bless. Or we can press through the challenge of inconvenience to live a life worth living and serve the Lord with all that we are and all that we have.
Consider:
What is your greatest inconvenience in serving God?
What is the potential cost of not going after the things of God?
Prayer Prompts:
Lord how do I discern between Your blessing and my complacency?
When I finally stand before You Lord, what will You want to commend me for?
