Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 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. - Mark 13:31-33
Throughout the ages, people have been conscious of the importance of the guard. Here in The Bahamas, even though we have lived in peace for as long as we can remember, we are still very conscious of the need to be on guard.
We have the men and women of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force who guard and protect our borders. They protect us against illegal immigrants and poachers who try to exploit our fishing resources.
Then we have the police who protect our streets, our neighborhoods and our homes. Because these brave men and women are on duty, we feel safe at work and at home. We thank God for the wonderful work they do.
In the above text, Jesus says,"Be on guard! Be alert!" The people of his time understood quite clearly what he was saying. They were very cognizant of the importance of keeping guard.
Guards are most important people. They watch to keep danger away. Consequently, they must always be vigilant. Otherwise, those who depend upon them may fall prey to the enemy.
How are you at your post? Are you an alert guard? Are you true to your assignment? Have you allowed other issues to take up your time and, as a consequence, fallen down in your responsibility? Have you been so diverted from your calling that you are unaware that the enemy has an uninhibited access to that which you have been given the responsibility to guard?
When Jesus tells us to be on guard, he is telling us to hold to his word and to share his gospel with the world. He wants us to make a difference in the lives of the people around us. He wants us to emulate his life.
Through our living, others will come to know him as savior. Yes, the way we live helps others to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We in the Christian church are the gateway to Christ. We build his kingdom here on earth. That is how we keep guard, by doing what he called us to do.We are to continue until he calls us home to be with him.
As we hold our post, doing the work our Lord called us to do, we will be tempted and we will stumble. Therefore, we should remain grounded in God's word. Keep our focus upon the cross and do our part to ensure that the gospel is proclaimed.
We in the Christian church are to continue and remain faithful until Christ's return. This is his charge to us. His word will not go silent. Satan will not and cannot silence the church.
As we await our Lord's return, we must not become lax and complacent. We are the watchmen for the kingdom.
Yes, in this world full of pain and woe, we will struggle. We will be tested. In doing the Lord's work, we will have our good days and our bad days.
The evil one will challenge us at our post. He will give us cause to doubt our faith and our resolve. He will cause us to doubt what God says in his word.
Notwithstanding this, he cannot win because we have Jesus on our side. Our Lord realizes that it is a challenge. He is aware of the mountains, hills, and valleys in which we find ourselves, at times. He is aware of our pains, and our grief. He knows that the church navigates through some turbulent waters.
He knows that we need extra strength to carry on. That is why he sent us the Holy Spirit to keep us strong in the faith. That is why he gave us the means of grace, the Sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. They keep us focused and as a consequence, we watch and pray. Amen.

o Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas, or telephone: 323-4107; E-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com, Website: www.Nassaulutheranchurch.org.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian