Dulled or Alert?

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:34-36 NLT

http://bible.com/116/luk.21.34-36.nlt

It’s interesting that Jesus would put carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of life in the same sentence when referring to our spiritual alertness. I think most of us understand how carousing and drunkenness can dull our senses, but the worries of life? Other versions say “cares of this life” (NKJV) and “anxieties of life” (NIV). This means they are just as much of a trap and seducer to us as getting drunk or carousing. Interesting!

Jesus is coming back soon. Real soon. And just as He told His followers 2,000 years ago to be ready, so He tells us. He warns us to be awake, be alert, and not be dulled or weighed down or distracted by the things this world tempts us into. We should be careful not to be carried away by them and find ourselves unprepared for His Arrival.

This passage is an encouragement, I think, especially for those that may not be tempted to get drunk or carouse, but may struggle with life’s anxieties. Jesus is saying, “Resist them! Don’t even put up with them, giving them a chance to weigh you down.” We don’t have to live in the tangles of them like the rest of the world. They are a distraction to us and will keep us from being alert and ready for His coming. 

So live free from the cares of this life, my friends!