Matthew 24:32-51
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ... for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” -Matthew 24:42-44
Do you live your life in constant expectation that Christ will return to take you to Himself? In answer to this question, many would lose face or falter for an answer, because they have failed to keep the Lord's command to watch.
The Christian is to be constantly and continually looking for the coming of Christ. It will come unexpectedly (1Thes.5:2). The Rapture can occur at any moment— 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Other parts of Scripture tell the Christian to constantly wait and to constantly look for Christ's coming.
In a small country store in a southern state of the U.S., a lady came to do her shopping. Two or three young men were standing around passing the time of day, and knowing that she was a Christian, they began to taunt her. 'We hear you're expecting Jesus to come back,' they said. 'I sure am,' she replied brightly. 'Do you really believe He's coming?' they asked. ‘Sure as you're born,' she answered. They said, 'Well you'd better hurry home and get ready, He might be on the way!' She looked her tormentors straight in the eye and said, 'I don't have to get ready,' she said, 'I keep ready!'
What does it mean to watch and be ready? One of the mysteries or paradoxes of the Christian life is that the true believer looks for the coming of Christ, yet all the while he is presently enjoying His spiritual presence and experiencing His power. The more the Christian loves Christ now, the more he longs for His coming. The hunger the Christian has, to see Christ's face is directly proportionate to the present enjoyment he has of Christ's presence.
To be watching and ready implies that we are to “occupy ourselves until He comes.” What are we to do?
We are to carry out spiritual works according to the Bible. We are to pray, study, witness, give, love and work for Christ, for the time is coming when no man will be able to work (cf. John 9:4). Of course, we must carry out secular tasks but these must never preoccupy us such that we lose sight of our spiritual responsibilities.
The Christian is to follow the teachings of His Lord, proving himself to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. The imminent coming of Christ should challenge the child of God to a holy walk before God. If a good friend comes into town and calls you to say that he will drop over for just a few minutes, this usually brings a state of crisis to a home. The woman of the house, in anticipation of the friend’s coming, begins to sweep the floors, dust the furniture, pick up things off the floor. The anticipation of a visitor stirs the desire in us to clean the house and make it presentable. So too the anticipation of the coming of Christ for us, should stir in us a deep desire to live a clean and holy life for Him.
Thought for the Day: Are you living in daily expectancy of the return of your Lord? If not, then you are probably living a subnormal Christian life.
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