Some Hindrances to Watchfulness
By W. S. Sadler
SOWING FOR WATCHFULNESS.—No. 2.
Some Hindrances to Watchfulness.
He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a ‘man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which ‘he possesseth.’” Luke 12:15. Here is the keynote to a great deal of our trouble. If we could watch each of these little dangers and wrong tendencies toward covetousness, pride, self-exaltation, and the various things which kill our spiritual life; if we could but keep these things under; if our faithfulness could first be directed toward those things that put us to sleep spiritually, it would not be so difficult to watch for our Lord’s return. Let us watch some of these causes of moral lethargy; let us carefully watch for some of the first causes of sin and selfishness, which, when they have brought forth fruit, lead men to say, “My Lord delayeth His coming.” It is written that in the last days the evil servant begins to smite his fellow-servant, and to eat and drink with the drunken. That does not mean necessarily that the evil servant frequents the saloon, but rather that he eats and drinks in the same way—the same things—as do the drunken; so that he is not able to watch any better than the drunken watch. In Luke 12:45 we read: “And to eat and drink, and ‘to be drunken,” an utterance which is made all the more forcible when taken in connection with Eccl. 10:17: “Blessed art thou, O ‘land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due ‘season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.” When we lose our intensity—fall asleep, as it were—the real source of the trouble often lies in failing to watch for those things which are the cause of stupefying us spiritually, and putting us to sleep morally, and thus render us incapable of watching for the great event in which we are so interested. It is fatal to our watching to eat and drink those things which produce stupor of mind, lethargy of soul, and weariness of body. Suppose you wished to be warned of the time when a certain procession is to pass your house; would you put a half-drunk man out on the corner to watch for it? And so alcohol and all kindred stimulants represents the whole class of those things which produce moral inactivity, and cause us to slumber and sleep spiritually. We must recognize the secret and source of divine strength; we must also avoid the causes of moral poisoning and spiritual paralysis. If we desired to watch for some great event, would we be likely to allow a doctor to give us chloroform? Would there be any power in heaven or earth to keep us awake after we placed ourselves under the direct influence of a powerful sleep-producing agency? We must keep our souls diligently, to see that Satan does not chloroform us with the soul-poisons of negligence, pride, selfishness, and drunkenness. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.” Luke 12:35. This means that we are to be giving to others, hour by hour, what God has given to us. One great and important means of keeping awake, and thus being able to watch, is to be constantly employed in giving out to others what God has entrusted to us. There are two ways in which we hide our light. One is by putting it under a bushel; that is, hiding our light for the sake of business, mercenary, and commercial interests; the other is by putting it under a bed; that is, seeking comfort for ourselves; refusing to do this or that because it will deprive us of ease. The same activity required to keep your lights burning and loins girded about will keep you in such a state of mind that you will be able to watch for your Lord’s coming. “Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man cometh in an ‘hour when ye think not.” Here is the secret of the whole thing. The man who is not ready can not watch; and the man who is ready will be watching. Let your attitude and life be such as will indicate a fitness for the society of angels, and indicate that your sole purpose and ambition in time and eternity is to be like God, and to do His bidding. Those who are awake and watching when the Lord comes will be ready for Him. They say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for ‘Him, and He will save us.” If we are ready, it makes little difference when He comes. Be sure of this thing: the soul that has gone through the experience that makes it ready is the soul that has acquired the ability to watch; but the soul that has not sown the seed of watchfulness is one whom no amount of determination can keep awake and watching. So, then, the problem of watching resolves itself down to this point: day by day, moment by moment, it is our duty to do those things, get those things, and give those things which will make us ready to meet Him when He comes. Then by sowing for watchfulness every day, we will reap the harvest of being found on guard when He comes. David said, “I ‘shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” “It doth not ‘yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall ‘appear, we shall be like Him.” W. S. SADLER.