🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ And the World Still Doesn’t Believe Jesus Is Coming Back… Oh, But He Is!
Scripture: Matthew 24:3, 12 (NIV)
Matthew 24:3: While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him privately and asked when these things would happen and what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.
Matthew 24:12:
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”
(Verse 3 summarized from the NIV.)
Devotion:
I’m 44 years old, and YES, I remember my grandmother telling me as a child that WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS!
And here we are, all these years later, still hearing that Jesus is coming back!
Because of the time it is taking for everything to unfold, some people have stopped believing.
They think it’s a joke!
They think it’s something people have been saying for generations that will never actually happen!
Some people have heard about the return of Jesus Christ for so long that they don’t even take it seriously anymore.
BUT JUST BECAUSE JESUS HASN’T RETURNED YET DOESN’T MEAN HE ISN’T COMING BACK!
OH, BUT HE IS! 🙌🏽🔥
And here’s what the world doesn’t understand.
GOD IS GIVING US TIME TO GET RIGHT!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😮💨
God, I thank You for Your grace and mercy! 🙏🏽
Second Peter 3:9 reminds us that the Lord is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
WHAT SOME PEOPLE ARE CALLING A DELAY IS ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO REPENT!
My, my, my!
Every day that we wake up is another opportunity to turn away from sin, surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and get our hearts right with God!
And instead of taking advantage of His mercy, some people are using the passing of time as a reason NOT to believe!
BUT GOD’S PATIENCE SHOULD NEVER BE MISTAKEN FOR GOD’S ABSENCE!
Whewww! 🙌🏽
And I want you to understand something else.
THE SIGNS ARE HERE, RIGHT IN OUR FACES!
LOOK AROUND!!
Let’s read today’s Scripture together.
In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives when His disciples came to Him privately.
And I want us to pay close attention to what they asked Him in verse 3.
They wanted to know:
WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN OF YOUR COMING AND THE END OF THE AGE?
Now, so that there is NO CONFUSION, I want you to understand something.
THEIR QUESTION WAS SPECIFIC!
They weren’t just asking Jesus about everyday problems.
They were asking Him about His coming and the end of the age!
And Jesus began explaining the things that would happen.
Now, the fact that you and I are still here, and the world is still going, tells us that we have not reached the end of the age yet.
BUT WE ARE SEEING THE VERY THINGS JESUS WARNED ABOUT!
And today, I want to focus on one particular sign that Jesus spoke about in verse 12.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”
MY, MY, MY!!! 😢🙏🏽
DID YOU HEAR WHAT JESUS SAID?
Because wickedness would increase, the love of many would grow cold!
In other words, as evil increases, love would begin disappearing from the hearts of many people!
AND IF YOU CAN’T SEE THAT HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU!
Whewww! 😮💨
Does anybody remember the good old days when people seemed nicer and more loving?
When neighbors looked out for each other?
When strangers would stop to help somebody in need?
When people had more grace to forgive, let things go, and live peacefully with one another?
Now, don’t misunderstand me. Evil existed back then too!
There has always been wickedness in this world.
BUT LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING TODAY!
You can barely turn on the news without hearing about somebody being murdered!
People are being killed over arguments!
Over road rage!
Over disagreements!
Over things that should have NEVER resulted in somebody losing their life!
YOU CAN HAVE A SIMPLE DISAGREEMENT WITH SOMEBODY AND END UP FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE!
Lord, have mercy! 😢🙏🏽
Somebody gets angry because another driver cut them off in traffic, and instead of letting it go, they pull out a gun!
Somebody gets upset because they don’t like what another person said, and instead of walking away, they become violent!
Somebody refuses to give another person what they want, and suddenly their life is being threatened!
WHERE IS THE LOVE?
WHERE IS THE COMPASSION?
WHERE IS THE VALUE FOR HUMAN LIFE?
MY, MY, MY!
And what about the way people treat one another?
People will stand around recording somebody being assaulted instead of trying to get help!
Some will laugh at another person’s suffering!
Some will publicly humiliate somebody just to entertain an audience!
People can watch somebody going through one of the worst moments of their life and turn it into something to joke about!
SOMEBODY ELSE’S PAIN HAS BECOME ENTERTAINMENT FOR SOME PEOPLE!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 😢
THE LOVE OF MANY HAS WAXED COLD!
And let me bring this even closer to home.
It’s not just happening among strangers!
Families are turning against each other.
People are holding grudges for YEARS!
Some won’t speak to their own relatives because of something that happened decades ago!
People are becoming less patient, less forgiving, and less compassionate.
Somebody can be struggling, hurting, or in desperate need of help, and people will look the other way because they don’t want to be bothered!
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHEN SOME PEOPLE WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT THAN BE LOVING!
And sometimes they’d rather get revenge than make peace!
Whewww!
JESUS SAID THE LOVE OF MANY WOULD GROW COLD BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE OF WICKEDNESS!
And look at how easily wickedness can spread.
Somebody hurts you, so you decide to hurt them back.
Somebody lies on you, so you decide to destroy their reputation.
Somebody treats you badly, so you begin treating everybody badly.
And before you know it, the hatred you experienced has started changing YOUR heart!
DON’T LET THE WICKEDNESS AROUND YOU CAUSE THE LOVE INSIDE OF YOU TO GROW COLD!
OOOOOOEW WEEEEE! 🙌🏽🔥
Now, that’s a word for the CHURCH too!
Because we cannot talk about the world becoming less loving while we ourselves are refusing to love people!
How can we preach about Jesus and refuse to show compassion?
How can we tell people that God is love while we are constantly tearing one another down?
How can we expect the world to see Christ in us when we’re acting just like the world?
COME ON, CHURCH! WE HAVE WORK TO DO!
We cannot allow the darkness around us to put out the light God has called us to shine!
Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE JESUS IN US!
And I don’t mean just hear us talking about Him!
THEY NEED TO SEE HIS LOVE!
His compassion!
His mercy!
His forgiveness!
His kindness!
His truth!
WE HAVE TO BE THE LIGHT IN A WORLD THAT IS GROWING DARKER!
HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
And let me say something else.
The signs Jesus spoke about were not given so we could spend all our time arguing about dates and trying to figure out the exact day He will return.
In Matthew 24:36, Jesus made it clear that no one knows the day or hour.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT TO PREDICT HIS RETURN!
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE READY WHEN HE RETURNS!
My, my, my!
Because while people are laughing and making jokes about Jesus coming back, life is still moving forward.
People are still dying.
Souls are still being lost.
And every day, somebody leaves this world without another opportunity to make a decision about eternity.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD TAKE LIGHTLY!
And please understand something.
We don’t have to claim that every tragedy is a direct fulfillment of a specific prophecy to recognize the seriousness of what Jesus warned about.
THE WARNING IS ALREADY IN THE WORD OF GOD!
And the condition of the world should remind us just how important it is to stay spiritually awake!
Jesus told His followers what to watch for, and He also warned them not to be deceived.
DON’T GET SO COMFORTABLE LIVING IN THIS WORLD THAT YOU FORGET THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR ETERNAL HOME!
Whewww! 😮💨🙏🏽
And for those who have been putting off surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ, I want to ask you something.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Are you waiting until you get older?
Until you’ve had all the fun you want to have?
Until you’ve accomplished everything on your list?
Until life slows down?
Until you see something that finally convinces you that Jesus is coming back?
HOW MANY MORE WARNINGS DO YOU NEED?
The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.
JESUS SAVES!
He forgives sin!
He changes hearts!
He gives us new life!
And His invitation to salvation is still available today!
BUT DON’T MISTAKE THE TIME GOD HAS GIVEN YOU FOR A PROMISE THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE MORE TIME!
My, my, my!
And to my sisters and brothers in Christ, I want to encourage us today.
LET’S GET RIGHT AND PREPARE OURSELVES!
Let’s examine our hearts.
Let’s turn away from the things that displease God.
Let’s stop holding on to unforgiveness, hatred, bitterness, and sin!
Let’s stop allowing the wickedness of this world to change the way we love people!
And let’s remember what our assignment is!
COME ON, CHURCH! LET’S BE THE LIGHT AND OFFER THE WORLD JESUS!
People need hope!
People need prayer!
People need love!
People need to hear the Gospel!
AND MOST OF ALL, PEOPLE NEED JESUS CHRIST!
HALLELUJAH! 🙌🏽🔥
We don’t know when Jesus is coming back.
But we do know what He told us.
HE IS COMING BACK!
And whether the world believes it or not does not change the truth of God’s Word!
JESUS IS COMING BACK! OH, BUT HE IS!
And when that day comes, I don’t want to be caught unprepared.
I want to be found faithful.
I want my heart to be right with God.
I want to be doing the work He called me to do.
And I want to have done everything I could to introduce somebody else to Jesus Christ!
THE WORLD MAY BE GROWING COLDER, BUT OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE GROWING STRONGER!
DON’T JUST WATCH THE SIGNS. RESPOND TO THE WARNING!
GET RIGHT WITH GOD. STAY READY. AND HELP SOMEBODY ELSE FIND JESUS! 🙌🏽🙏🏽💙
✍🏽 Reflect & Respond
Today, I want you to think seriously about what Jesus said concerning the increase of wickedness and the love of many growing cold.
Have I allowed the wickedness, hatred, and mistreatment I see around me to make my own heart less loving, forgiving, or compassionate?
Am I truly living prepared for the return of Jesus Christ, or have I become so comfortable with life that I rarely think about eternity?
Am I doing my part to show the love of Jesus Christ and introduce others to Him?
And here’s the question I really want you to sit with:
IF JESUS RETURNED TODAY, WOULD I BE READY TO MEET HIM?
Don’t put off repentance.
Don’t ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
And don’t allow the passing of time to convince you that Jesus isn’t coming back!
Today, examine your heart, surrender anything that is not pleasing to God, and ask Him to help you remain faithful.
Then make a deliberate effort to show somebody the love of Jesus Christ.
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS, AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE HIM!
🙏🏽 Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy! Thank You for giving me another opportunity to get my heart right with You. Lord, forgive me for anything in my life that is not pleasing to You. Search my heart and remove every trace of bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, and wickedness. Please don’t allow the evil in this world to cause my love to grow cold. Help me remain faithful, watchful, and spiritually prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. Father, I don’t want to be caught unprepared. Strengthen my relationship with You and help me live a life that honors You every day. Give me boldness to share the Gospel, compassion to love people, and wisdom to be a light in this dark world. Lord, when Jesus returns, I want to be ready! In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙
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