"Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks."
This is important as we accept Christ and continue on our journey as fully devoted followers of Jesus. It does not say once you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life you can put the car in neutral and let Him do everything. It says, "Be dressed for service..." We must be ready with His wisdom (knowledge of His word) so our actions are one with Christ. It is not a time where we can just wear sweat pants and lay around clueless. We need to get up daily and renew our mind and put on the proper cloths for Him to return.
No one knows when He will return but when our lamps are burning and He comes back there will be no surprises. The second part says, "...and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return..." There is purpose in what we do as Christians, we can't have it be just a word we use to impress some people. It must be a tool to show that our lamps are lit and we are dressed and ready for anything this world might throw at us. If we continually prepare and renew our minds we will be ready and useful as children of God. The end of verse 36 says, "Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks."
We won't even have to think about it, it will come naturally because the Spirit that lives in us will be a loud voice that we actually listen too. If the next verse doesn't get you excited to be a doer of the word of God then I am not sure what will. Verse 37 says, "The servants who are ready and waiting for His return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, He Himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!" This is what we should be doing if we call ourselves "Christians" it is not just a name tag, it is a honor and a duty to love. Every morning wake up and say thank you Lord for giving me life and for giving me the cloths I need to be "dressed for service." Thank you for giving me the fuel and matches to start and keep my lamps burning. Use me today like it's the day you will return, and keep my focus on you. Know that I want to not just say who I am in Christ, I want to live it and show how ready I am to plant and water your seeds so the world can be different. Amen