As fall quickly approaches, I have begun thinking about upcoming celebrations, like Thanksgiving. For our family, Thanksgiving usually involves a big meal that leaves everyone feeling stuffed and sluggish for the rest of the day. Stretchy pants and comfy chairs are in high demand after we eat that meal!
And yet, I’m always impressed when I hear of families who do things differently. They go for walks or play tag football after their holiday meals! This is incredible to me—because I, for one, am too weighed down with Thanksgiving turkey to walk, much less run.
As I was reading Luke 21:34-36 this week, Jesus’ words of warning reminded me of that ‘weighed down,’ overstuffed feeling. He says, “So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
In this passage, Jesus is talking about His return and how we ought to live in preparation for it. Two different lifestyles are described, here. One is a ‘weighed down’ lifestyle and one is a ‘lifted up’ lifestyle—and we, as Christians, get to choose each day how we will live.
The weighed-down lifestyle.
Jesus said, “be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.”
There are things in this world that we think will lift us up, but that actually end up weighing us down—and I’m not talking about holiday meals. I’m talking about the worldly things we turn to for escape and uplift in hard times.
- The partying and not-so-holy media that keep us distracted,
- the substances that numb our pain,
- even the ruminating we do over earthly problems because we’re convinced finding a solution would finally make us happy…
all of these things seem to promise burdened hearts an uplift. And so, the closer we get to Christ’s return, the more tempting they naturally become to us.
You see, earlier in Luke 21, Jesus mentioned the signs that would precede His return. They include painful experiences like persecution, division, war and natural disasters. So, it’s no wonder that as history continues to move toward that point, people—including we, ourselves—want to check out mentally, more and more. Life in this world is hard and it’s probably going to get harder.
Yet now is not the time to become escapist. Now is the time to walk out our faith with conviction and to run toward God with endurance—because there is only one remedy to the cares of this world and it’s Jesus. True, lasting escape from suffering is what His coming kingdom will bring about for all who believe! And in the meantime, we need to stop filling up on the worldly escapes that weigh us down like heavy meals—because we have a race to run. (Hebrews 12:1)
You know, since Jesus hasn’t returned yet, I think it’s safe to say there is more work God wants to do in us and in our world. There are still souls He wants to save, there are still parts in us He wants to transform, and He has graciously invited us to participate in His work.
We don’t want to miss out because our hearts are too weighed down by this world to walk by faith, much less run with endurance. Thankfully, Jesus offers us a better way of life in verse 36.
The lifted-up lifestyle.
Jesus said, “Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
As we await Christ’s return, in the midst of a suffering world, these words encourage us to do three things:
ONE. Lift up our eyes.
Jesus said to “be watchful all the time.” This means we should have our eyes open to both the signs of the times and the temptations that surround us daily. But even more importantly, we are to keep our eyes focused on God Himself—His character and His promises.
When life gets hard, escapism doesn’t help nearly as much as remembering that we have a capable God. Nothing is impossible for Him. He can bring good from what is bad and nothing can thwart His eternal plans. We need to lift up our eyes and keep them on the One enthroned in heaven.
TWO. Lift up our prayers.
Jesus also said we should pray that we “may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” If you are unsure of your salvation, now is the time to get that settled by crying out to Jesus in faith. And if you are assured of your salvation, now is the time to cry out for the strength to live out your faith.
Praise be to God, our standing before the Lord is not dependent upon our works. But God does want to continue His work in and through us, as we depend on Him. So, we should pray daily for the endurance to stay close to Him as we run our races for Him.
THREE. Lift up our Savior
Jesus reminded us that the day of His return would “come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth.” So, even if we, ourselves, are ready to stand before the judgment seat of God, we cannot afford to take it easy while we await Christ’s return. There are many in this world who are not saved and who have no idea the judgment they are facing. This world needs Jesus.
But here’s the good news: Jesus, who was lifted up on a cross to bear the sins of the world, once said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32) Jesus died on the cross so that lost people could be saved and He also promises to woo them to Himself—our part is simply to point to Jesus with our words and actions, to lift Him up so that people can have an encounter with the Savior who loves them. This kind of living—marked by lifting up our eyes, our prayers and our Savior—is more uplifting than a lifestyle of worldly escapism. With Jesus at the forefront, life is lighter and our hearts are freed up to chase what truly matters.
The question is: how will we choose to live?
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
