Today’s Bible Reading:
Exodus 23:14-25:40
Matthew 24:29-51
Psalm 30:1-12
Proverbs 7:24-27
Today’s Bible Verse(s):
Matthew 24:44 (NLT): “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
Reflections on Today’s Bible Verse(s):
Frequently, a Jesus-followers’ life is peppered with difficulties. Sometimes, it is immersed in them. While there are many reasons why this may be so, one big reason is that Jesus is causing us to lose our appetite for the things of this world and long for our eternal home.
While Christians should do nothing to hasten their death, they will embrace the day when Jesus calls them to Heaven. Yet, Christians also realize that there is some unknown day in the future when Jesus will come to get all of His followers at one time. That event is called the rapture.
Matthew 24:30-31 (NLT): “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world — from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”
Jesus has told us that He would return one day. We don’t know when that will be. When Jesus took on the body of a man and walked the earth, even He didn’t know when He was coming back (Matthew 24:36).
So, since Jesus is coming back one day, and since we don’t know when that will be, we had better live each day as if it could be today! We should live in such a way that we are actively serving Him, with all our heart, so that He finds us “seek(ing) the Kingdom of God above all else, and live(ing) righteously” (Matthew 6:33) when He comes for us.
Will this be easy or hard for us? As Jesus’ return nears, will it be easier or more challenging for us to live for Him? Jesus gives us the answer.
Matthew 24:37-39 (NLT): “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
It won’t be easy, friend. The closer we get to Jesus’ return, the harder it will be to live for Him because fewer and fewer people will give their lives to Him. That scenario generally means that the faithful followers of Jesus will be persecuted in one way or another.
So, how can we live for Jesus in a world whose opposition to Him and His followers is growing? How can we live with our eyes on the rapture, longing for the day when we get to be with Him forever? Embrace the difficulties that God sends your way. Let them cause you to lose your appetite for the things of this earth and long for your Heavenly home as you await Jesus’ return.
Hebrews 11:13-16 (NLT): “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Matt’s Musings 