Keeping Faith Strong Until the End

Scripture:  Matthew 24:1–14

 

Observation:  God’s timing is never our timing.  The disciples thought the end was very near based on what they observed and heard Yeshua speaking of.  We too might look around and think “it HAS to be near!” 

 

One day, Yeshua will return to this earth.  He wants us to be ready all the time for this great event.  Yeshua says there will be hard times (vs. 9-13).  It’s during these times I really want His return to be NOW!  No one likes hard times, but the idea of heaven and being free of hard times, that is an idea we can all get around.  What little girl doesn’t dream of her knight in shining armor coming on his white horse to rescue her from all her troubles?  This is why stories like Cinderella and others are so popular even long after we have grown up.

 

These verses tell us the troubles we will face may even lead to physical death, but worse than that would be those who will fall away and lose faith.  We want to be those who stay strong until the end.

 

Application:    Think about the fact that Jesus Christ will return to this earth.  Comment on how this makes you feel.  Are there things you would want to do differently if you knew His coming was today or tomorrow or this week or month?  None of know how many days we have.  Whether He comes sooner rather than later or the last chapter in your book is being written we must be a people who choose “faith to the end” and to “remain strong”.

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, too often we can get our perspective all wrong.  Help us to keep our eyes on You no matter what storms are going on around us.  Help us to remain strong and keep and continue to grow our faith until the end.  Through Christ, our Knight, I pray, Amen & Amen

 

Come Lord Jesus Come!

 

One last encouraging word from a devotional that came up in my news feed memories from 2013:  "There are many last days in our lives: the last day of school, the last day before graduation ... Many last days! Then there is a last day in all our lives that we can't skip over. We won't know until that moment when that last day is for us. So, we need to make preparations to be ready when it arrives. We need to make ourselves ready for that approaching day by surrendering ourselves to God and staying in the Word. The Word gives us power to overcome so we can make it through to the LAST DAY, when we will be with Him."