August 17 - Stay Awake

Matthew 24: 36-51

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42 ESV)

We don't know the exact year, day, or hour that Jesus will return. I do believe that authentic believers will have an innate sense about his approach, but the details are beyond us. It is something we do not know, and cannot know until the moment in which we experience it.

Jesus compared it to being watchful over a house in danger of robbery. If you knew your house was going to be robbed you would take all kinds of extra precautions. And if you knew the exact moment in the night when the robber was going to approach you would be ready.

Christ will return, and when he does he wants to embrace a ready church. He is looking for a people that are awake, alert, and watching. So, stay awake.

August 16 - When You See

Matthew 24: 29-35

So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Matthew 24:33 ESV)

I love to travel. We used to drove across the country every summer to visit my brother in North Carolina. They were usually really fun trips to make, but I always like coming home. I love driving in on the interstate and keeping track of the signs that tell me how close I am to home.

During Jesus' teaching on the Last Days he told his followers that they would be able to determine the Last Days by looking at the signs. Will our generation be the ones to experience the Second Coming of Christ? What do the signs show us?

Some people get a little weird when it comes to this stuff. They start to make crazy predictions. I don't think that's what Jesus was shooting for. Jesus wasn't trying to teach his people how to calculate the moment of his return. He was stressing to them the importance of their continued watch. He wanted his followers to remain a perpetually ready people.

When I am driving home from a long trip I take note of the signs that point me to home. The reason why is because I am looking for them. I am seeking reassurance and direction. I believe that Christ demonstrates that for his people. When his return is imminent all of his followers will know it. They will be looking for him.

August 15 - Gathering Vultures

Matthew 24: 15-28

Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24:28 ESV)

Have you ever stopped to watch the prime time news for five minutes? If you have ever engaged with mass media during a peak news cycle you have no doubt noted the overwhelming gloom that permeates all of the terrible news. The reason is that bad news draws the attention of people.

Jesus, delivered a stern word to his followers. He was warning them about the signs of the end times. And he cautioned them to remain optimistic. He didn't want his followers to proclaim a message that was inundated by the dark stigma of weighty world issues.

People today really are drawn to bad news. In school when I was learning to be a journalist, I remember hearing the phrase "if it bleeds it leads," regularly. Death, disaster, and decay draw people's attention.

The sad truth is that this kind of thinking makes its way into the church far too often. One bad little thing can happen, and we can focus so hard on it that we completely neglect the other thirty-five awesome things going on. We are not people who celebrate death and negativity. Jesus came to bring the dead to life.

August 14 - Astray

Matthew 24: 3-14

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray." (Matthew 24:4 ESV)

When I travel I try to stay really focused. I like to know my destination, try to plan all major stops, and I attempt to avoid distractions. Unfortunately, that kind of focus is not always easy to maintain.

Jesus and his followers were certainly no strangers to traveling. They walked all over the countryside, and rode in ships fairly often as well. They knew what it meant to venture forth with purpose. And that is what Jesus had in mind when he warned his people not be lead astray.

It was a timely warning for the soon-to-be Church leaders. Soon they would be the ones guiding the movement, and Jesus wanted them to keep their heads. It is a timely warning for us as well.

The apostles and disciples had to worry about a lot of people seeking to exploit the burgeoning Christian movement. Today, we must be wary of those who continually attempt to hijack the world's largest religion. There are a myriad of reasons and devices used to misdirect people in pursuit of Spiritual truth. We need to be extra vigilant in discerning who we follow, and how we lead.

Jesus warned that we should be careful not to be lead astray. We want our generation to be good stewards of the Gospel. We do not want to be lead astray, but neither should we want to lead others astray. Lets keep Jesus at the center and love as our motive.