Occupy

We are part of a divinely established occupational force known as the church.  Let’s do our job.

Text for Today – Luke 19:13 – And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

When Jesus came into this world, He emptied Himself of all divine privilege and operated as a prophet under the law of Moses.  When He finished His earthly ministry, He was received to the right hand of the Father God, where He now lives to make intercession for the saints according to the will of the Father.  He finished His earthly fight, and like our Father when He finished the creation renovation, sat down.  But before He was seated, He equipped and supplied the Church, His body, to “Occupy till I come.” 

The term “occupy” is a military term.  It means to stay in charge, to police, to defend, to put down insurgency, to stand guard, and as some of the terms have already implied, fight when necessary.  As good soldiers of the cross, we are God’s occupational forces in this present world. 

As occupation forces, we need to realize that we are not on our home turf; we are strangers and pilgrims here in the earth, with a divinely ordained citizenship of another country.  While we have a fixed base of operations from which we continue with our occupational work, we must at the same time be ready for immediate movement to a different base.  I am very sure that any military man or woman in an occupational situation, while prepared and alert to any situation they may encounter, is at the same time ready to go home at a moment’s notice.  Military personnel are usually given tours of duty that fall within specific time frames of deployment; six months, 12 months, etc.  With that in mind, my fellow soldier of the Lord, think on these things.

We are living in the last days.  The Word tells us what must happen in the last days.  Jesus is coming for His Church, His occupational forces in the last days.  We are those occupational forces.  That means Jesus is coming for us.  Because we know we are living in the last days, and because we know He is coming for us, we should be ready to redeploy at His trumpet call.  From the moment you read this, to the moment of our departure, there still remains much to be done.  Therefore, as good soldiers, let us endure the hardness that comes against us, stand in the power of God, truly busy ourselves with the great work of the Kingdom, renew our commitment, rekindle our enthusiasm, and refire our passion that He has shed abroad in our hearts.  In short, let us occupy!

Manna for Today – Luke 19:11-27; 2 Timothy 2:1-7; Ephesians 6:10-18; Matthew 24-25