Read: Luke 12:40 | Listen: Luke 12

You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Luke 12:40

Jesus finishes this parable with a simple command: stay ready. Wedding banquets often run long into the night, so servants who wait up for their master's return need their belts cinched and their robes tucked, dressed for action rather than settled in for sleep. Their lamps stay lit so they can see and be seen the moment a knock sounds at the door. The master might return long after midnight. Nobody knows the hour, so the faithful servant stays alert the entire night through, lamp burning, ready to fling the door open the instant he hears his master's voice.

Let’s be those servants. Ready and waiting for Jesus's return without knowing the day or hour. One way we stay ready is through regular washing—the ongoing confession of our sin. John, one of the disciples who first heard this parable, later ties Jesus's return to this kind of cleansing (1 John 1:9; 1 John 3:2–3). Confession isn't merely a one-time transaction for our salvation. It's a daily heart posture that keeps us clean, helps us say no to sin and yes to living like Jesus. As we confess, we live by God's grace, not to earn it but out of gratitude for it. His grace teaches us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives (Titus 2:11–12). We don't try harder on our own strength; we confess, accept his grace, and let that grace make us eager to do good.

TODAY: Take a few quiet moments and pray 1 John 1:9. Ask God to reveal any sin you've been carrying, then confess it by name. Thank him for his grace, and ask him to make you eager to live ready for Christ's return.