May 2, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:9-14
OBSERVATIONS
When love grows cold, people treat each other badly, people hate and kill and betray and deceive. The most important thing in the world for us, no matter what is going on around us, is love. As long as we have the option to love, there is hope. When love grows cold, then hope is lost.
God has shown us how love overcomes darkness and evil. Do we trust Him, will we stand firm, or will we turn away from our faith?
God’s plan is that His love-living servants will spread the message of kingdom hope (by demonstrating and declaring it). As the message spreads, resistance will increase. But giving up on live and hope will not help, even when things get hard love remains the only answer, the only hope. As we see in Jesus, love overcomes death.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
Am I a love-living servant, am I showing these world God’s better way? When people see me, do they see God’s kingdom (ie how life in God’s world ought to be lived)? Obviously I cannot do this perfectly, I will fail. But am I trying, and do people sense that I am trying?
The world has enough hate and violence, am I standing firm in loving even those who hate or oppose me? When things get hard or hurtful, do I run and hide? Do I join in on the anger, hate and hurt?
God wants everyone to know about His better easy, His better world. Our job is to demonstrate and declare it. The end will not come until we finish this job.
I hear God asking me, am I standing firm, or is my love growing cold?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, there is so much meanness and selfishness, it seems that love is weak. Show me the strength of love, make me strong in love, no matter what.
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
Jesus is talking of the end of the age. Jesus followers, and what they stand for will come into disrepute, and they will be persecuted. This happens now, in pockets, but we are told that this will become a worldwide situation. Many will turn away from the faith, and their love will grow cold. Many people now are giving up on faith. While there are still areas that have widespread active Christianity, there are places where it seems to be dying out. Perhaps a new move of God, a revival will blow through these areas, or we could be seeing these verses come true. People will betray and hate each other. There is some of this, but I see stories of this even in Bible times. I hope that as a Jesus follower, that I can be like salt and light on the earth, and perhaps mitigate some of the betrayal and hate out there.
False prophets will appear and deceive many people. For as long as I have lived, I have been told that the end is near. Not only near, as Jesus told his disciples, but imminent. The kind of thinking that says, I don’t need to buy another car, this one will do till the end (rapture??) I have heard of the trumpet of Gabriel being put to his lips, ready to blow. (I guess signalling the end) I have heard of prophetic words that a certain event, or the death of a certain person will occur (or not) before the return of Jesus. I have always wondered at these types of predictions. I think we need to continue to live our lives faithfully and remain true to the end, but not live as if the end were here tomorrow. I am not about to quit my job, sell everything, and wait in a cave for the return.
The gospel will be preached in the whole world. With today’s technology this is being done. Radio stations are beaming the signal everywhere, and providing people everywhere with receivers. Translators are working feverishly to translate the Bible into new languages that are found. Do we do this so that Jesus can return, or is this just a statement that this will occur. I tend to think that this is just another sign of the times, the end times.
Just as my life can end at any time, so the end of this age can occur. In both cases, we can see signs that the time is getting shorter. I pray that I will live for today, with a glance to the future, and my focus on Jesus.