J.C. Ryle's Devotional Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke, Section 80. Watchfulness. Luke Chapter 12, Verses 32-40.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. And be ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also. For the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

you Let us mark, firstly, what a gracious word of consolation this passage contains for all true believers. The Lord Jesus well knew the hearts of his disciples. He knew how ready they were to be filled with fears of every description. Fears because of the fewness of their number. Fears because of the multitude of their enemies. Fears because of the many difficulties in their way. Fears because of the sense of their weakness and unworthiness. He answers these many fears with a single golden sentence. Fear not, little flock. It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke chapter 12, verse 32.

Believers are a little flock. They always have been, ever since the world began. Professing Christians have sometimes been very many. Baptized people at the present day are a great company. But true Christians are very few. It is foolish to be surprised at this. It is vain to expect that it will be otherwise until the Lord comes again. Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and there are few who find it.

All true believers have a glorious kingdom awaiting them. Here upon earth they are often mocked and ridiculed and persecuted, and, like their master, despised and rejected by men. But the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear. then shall you also appear with him in glory. Romans chapter 8 verse 18 and Colossians chapter 3 verse 4.

Believers are tenderly loved by God the Father. It is the Father's good pleasure to give them the kingdom. He does not receive them grudgingly, unwillingly, and coldly. He rejoices over them as members of his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased. He regards them as his dear children in Christ. He sees no spot in them. Even now, when he looks down on them from heaven in the midst of their infirmities, he is well pleased. And hereafter, when presented before his glory, he will welcome them with exceeding joy. Jude, verse 24.

Are we members of Christ's little flock? Then surely we ought not to be afraid. exceeding great and precious promises are given to us 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 4 God is ours and Christ is ours greater are those that are for us than all that are against us the world the flesh and the devil are mighty enemies but with Christ on our side we have no cause to fear

Let us mark, secondly, what a striking exhortation these verses contain to seek treasure in heaven. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

But this is not all. A mighty, heart-searching principle is laid down to enforce the exhortation. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The language of this charge is doubtless somewhat figurative, yet the meaning of it is clear and unmistakable. We are to sell, to give up anything, and deny ourselves anything which stands in the way of our soul's salvation. We are to give, to show charity and kindness to everyone, and be more ready to spend our money in relieving others than to hoard it for our own selfish purposes. We are to provide ourselves treasures in heaven, to make sure that our names are in the Book of Life, to lay hold of eternal life, to lay up for ourselves evidences which will bear the inspection of the Day of Judgment. This is true wisdom. This is real prudence. The man who does well for himself is the man who gives up everything for Christ's sake. He makes the best of bargains. He carries the cross for a few years in this world and in the world to come has everlasting life. He obtains the best of possessions. He carries his riches with him beyond the grave. He is rich in grace here. He is rich in glory hereafter. And best of all, what he obtains by faith in Christ, he never loses. It is that good part which can never be taken away.

Would we know what we are ourselves? Let us see whether we have treasure in heaven or whether all our good things are here upon earth. Would we know what our treasure is? Then let us ask ourselves what we love the most. This is the true test of character. This is the pulse of our religion. It matters little what we say or what we profess or what preaching we admire or what place of worship we attend. What do we most love? On what are our affections set? This is the great question. Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

Let us mark, lastly, what an instructive picture these verses contain of the frame of mind which the true Christian should endeavor to keep up. Our Lord tells us that we ought to be like men who wait for their Lord. We ought to live like servants who expect their Master's return, fulfilling our duties in our several stations, and doing nothing which we would not like to be found doing when Christ comes again. The standard of life which our Lord has set up here is an exceedingly high one. So high indeed that many Christians are apt to flinch from it and feel cast down. And yet there's nothing here which ought to make a believer afraid. Readiness for the return of Christ to this world implies nothing which is impossible and unattainable. It requires no angelic perfection. It requires no man to forsake his family and retire into solitude. It requires nothing more than a life of repentance, faith, and holiness. The man who is living a life of faith in the Son of God is the man whose loins are girded and whose light is burning. Such a man may have the care of kingdoms on him, like Daniel, or be a servant in Nero's household, like some in Paul's time. All this matters nothing. If he lives looking unto Jesus, then he is a servant who can open to him immediately. Surely it's not too much to ask Christians to be men of this kind. Surely there was a reason why our Lord said, you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Are we ourselves living as if we were ready for the second coming of Christ? Well would it be if this question were put to our consciences more frequently. It might keep us back from many a false step in our daily life. It might prevent many a backsliding. A true Christian should not only believe in Christ and love Christ, he should also look and long for Christ's second coming. If he cannot say from his heart, come Lord Jesus, then there must be something wrong about his soul.