Stop Watching the Clock Mark 13:23

Stop Watching the Clock

So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13:23 NIV). Go deeper: Leviticus 14; Mark 13:1-31; Psalm 30:8-12 I once had a summer job in a California insurance company as their permanent “girl Friday.” I moved from department to department filling in for vacationers. Many days I worked eight hours in the typing pool on an IBM Selectric typewriter. Employees prepared documents or dictated letters; we typed them. Not the most challenging job, but honest summer work for a college student. It was easy to distinguish between who just had a job and who was seeking advancement. As the day wore on, the typing pool girls perked up. It was an amazing evolution. Around 4:00 PM, the clock magnetically attracted them with concerned diligence. 5:00 PM was quitting time. When I say quitting time, that’s what I mean. In utter astonishment I watched girls lift their hands from the typewriter at 4:55, leave a letter in the carriage, turn off the machine, put on the cover, and walk out the door. Amazing! Jesus understood this thing of “clock watching.” We are curious. We want to know when, who, how, and why. Jesus taught that matters of the last days are His department and under His control. No one knows the day or time of His return. We are to concentrate on our purpose and leave His purpose to Him. And what’s our purpose? He said it: “Be on your guard!”  Jesus reminds us that there is enough to do just to keep on our toes and be on guard. The exact day and hour of His return are irrelevant. There will be persecution and distress and famine and peril. We must be ready. He’s saying to us what a supervisor might have said to my friends in the typing pool: “You want a promotion? Do your job and do it well? Keep your eyes on your work and off the clock. I’m watching and there are rewards to those who faithfully serve.” What’s your business? Mind it. Dear Father in Heaven, Too many times I find myself, or notice others, becoming concerned about what someone else is or is not doing. Some people will complain and refuse to go out of their way or beyond the call of duty to do a great job, or tackle a problem head-on, or meet someone's need. Others are discouraged when they are not recognized while someone else gets a pat on the back or an unexpected gift. Whatever the case may be, Father, help me be mindful of what I should be doing. Help me be on guard and reject negative attitudes, selfish thoughts and wrong actions. For what is important is what I do each new day that you give me, how I treat others, how well I do the tasks at hand, how I use the gifts you have given me in the way that you intend, and the image I portray as your child living in this world. May I live above reproach and remain on guard. Thank you for your strength to do that. In Jesus' name, amen. Cited Reference:http://www.churchgrowth.org/kathy-slamp