'WATCHFULNESS'
by: Pastor James Scarborough, Donalsonville Assembly of God)

Gale and I work together as a team--I help her, she helps me. It is a great arrangement that I highly recommend to every couple. One of the jobs around the house that I have taken charge over in recent months is keeping the range top clean. I take great pride in keeping our smooth top range as shiny as a new black Buick; I apply the cleaning compound and then give it a good buffing that produces a marvelous shine. (If you live in my neighborhood and wonder why I cook outside so much, now you know--to spare the stove top from the corruption produced by the frying pan).

The other night Gale was boiling some potatoes when I heard her muttering distressfilled words. I have heard that a pan will not boil if you keep watching it; when she stopped watching. The pan took advantage of the moment and erupted hot liquid laced with potato starch onto my shiny stove surface. As the liquid burned away, it left a brown residue where a sparkling shine once existed. Less than thrilled, after it all cooled down, I took a razor and went to work removing the scorched potato juice and was finally able to restore the surface to its pre seared-potato appearance.

How could she be so careless to let such a thing happen? Read on. I haven't told her what I did yet!

I went out early the other morning and picked some peas; I wanted to surprise Gale with a nice meal for supper. I shelled the peas and got them on to boil--everything was going fine until I walked into my office for just a few moments. That's when I heard in the distance that dreaded sizzling sound! You guessed it--my peas boiled over and made another mess for me to clean off the stove top. This time it was my fault. Now we are even--except I cleaned it up both times, but that is all right, too.

How did we both make such a mess doing a simple chore? We stopped paying attention for just a moment, which produced consequences that could easily have been avoided.

We are approaching another anniversary of an event that changed us as a nation six years ago when terrorists used domestic planes to inflict atrocious death and loss. Among other things, this event has made us more watchful so that the opportunity is reduced for such a thing to be repeated.

Staying watchful is important in many areas of life. We are warned in Scripture to keep a watchful attitude spiritually. One of the places where this warning is given is in Mark 13 as Christ talked to His disciples about the end of time; He instructed them to be watchfully prepared for that great day. Pay careful attention to verses 32, 33, and 37: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" (NIV).

There is much that we do not understand about the end of time, but we can be assured that it will happen, and it is in our greatest spiritual interest to be ready. We must stay watchful by always keeping our lives surrendered to Jesus Christ. Are you spiritually watchful and ready to meet the Lord?