Matthew 25

Is Jesus Christ coming again? Since the time of the apostles, His return was preached and proclaimed. But He still has not come. Not yet. Should we doubt if He really would come back? No. There is no reason to doubt because nothing alters the fact that if God’s Word said it, it will surely happen. He will come the soonest and put an end to age. Because the signs have been telling us so.

The apostles asked Jesus when the world would end when they heard Him say that Jerusalem and its temple would one day be destroyed (Matthew 24:1-4). [This happened when the Roman Empire came out to war against Israel. The Romans also gained control and harshly ruled over other nations. They even burned the temple in Jerusalem, which was no more up to this time.]

But Jesus said the end of the age would not happen without signs such as the following coming to pass. He said pretenders would come in His name and say, “I am the Christ.” (v. 5)

They are truly come. And they are many. But there is only one true Christ who will come again. He will not come with fanfare. He will come as He is.

He said there would be wars and rumors of wars (v. 6). The news flashes say so. Who knows more wars are still to come? He also said there would be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places (v. 7). These things are not new. People go through these.

What was worst of the things Jesus told the apostles was that the Romans would kill them because of Him (v. 9). It happened. And lots of believers of Jesus suffered the same.

He also mentioned that false prophets would come and the people would start to flout the rule of law. Read the newspapers and listen to news broadcast to catch sight of it. Or just look at the neighborhood. Last of the signs He mentioned was the preaching of the Gospel in all parts of the world. It’s happening.

“And then the end will come,” Jesus said. (v. 14)

The end means when Jesus has come back. When He comes back, it will mark the end of the age. It means time on earth will stop. And time without end will begin. It also means that He is come to judge the people, to bring them to their eternal place. He is to tell whether they are to go to heaven or hell. The end means the end of the misery of the righteous. And it means the start of torment to the wicked. Most of all, His coming spells home for all who made Him their Savior and Lord.

Nobody knows exactly when these things are going to happen. We are just told to be ready. For He will come at an hour we do not expect just like when a thief comes. (Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2)

And while we get ourselves ready, He wants us to do business till He comes. He wants us to get busy in doing His will. (Luke 19:13). He also wants us to do our best to live with nothing to be ashamed about. He wants us to be spotless. (1 Timothy 6:14)

Jesus will come. No matter what we do. No matter where we are. No matter when people are going to decide to accept Him in their hearts. Or whether they are not going to.

It is the same Jesus who said, “Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). It takes the Spirit of God to understand what He means. To grasp it is a wonderful thing. For we will not only see His kingdom. We shall be with Him forever.

So come Lord Jesus!

Reflection:

1. What makes you wait for Jesus’ return?

2. How do you wait for Him?

Psalms 51

“Do you love Me more than these?” was the first question. The next time around He asked him, “Do you love Me?” The third time, He asked him still, “Do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord, You know that I love You,” was Peter’s reply the first time he was asked. He gave Jesus the same answer the second time He asked him.

Peter was hurt the third time the Lord asked him. So he appealed to Jesus’ divine knowledge as he tried to overcome his guilt. “Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You.”

Jesus asked Peter twice if He had agape love. He asked him if he loves Him completely. But Peter answered Him with phileo love. That was all he could give. He could not dare to claim that he loves Him with complete devotion. After all what he did, how could he? He could only be fond of Him, or so he thought.

So Jesus used the Greek word Peter used for love the third time He asked him. This time, He wanted to know if Peter even had the affection that he claimed he has for Him. That is why Peter was grieved. He could only appeal to Jesus’ knowledge of all things to prove that he really loves Him.

But Jesus did not say, “I love you too” to let Peter feel that He still believes in him. Instead He told him His ultimate call for his life. He commissioned him to shepherd His sheep. (John 21:15-19). He gave him the mandate to lead the Church that was about to be born as soon as He goes back to Heaven.

Peter may not have shown at first what it is to completely love and serve God. He may not have learned first the value of calmness as he deals with people. Was it not his misplaced zeal that caused him to strike the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear at the arrest of Jesus? (John 18:11)

But Jesus gave him second chance. He restored him to lead the birth of the early churches. What an honor!

God’s grace changed Peter. It changed him to learn the love Jesus was asking of Him. It changed him to learn what it means to be humble. It changed him to learn what it means to serve the purposes of God.

God made a spectacle of His power at the birth and spread of Christianity. And He put Peter at the cutting edge. He was bold yet gentle. He did not resent his persecutors, the Romans. He even admonished the Christians to honor the king and to submit to his government despite the harsh persecution they suffer at that time. (1 Peter 2:17)

Peter did not resist when he was about to be hanged on a cross. Like Jesus, the Romans condemned him to death for a crime he did not commit. But he did not see himself worthy to die the way his Lord had died. History tells he asked the Romans to crucify him upside down. So they did. And he died giving glory to God.

But Jesus knew it all along. In fact He told Peter about it ahead. He told him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch your hands, and another will gird you, and carry you where you do not wish.” (John 21:18)

Peter died a martyr for Christ. It may not please those who do not believe in Him. But it matters to all who believe. We will remember him as a man given a second chance to serve God. And he did not waste it.

Reflection:

1. Is there a sin that you did and made you believe that God could no longer accept you? Why is it so?

2. What do you do with the second chance God gives you?

God eagerly waits for those who have backslidden.

Psalms 18

No one can claim that only he suffers the pain in this life. No one, just no one, is excused from going through the valley of the hard seasons of living. Each of us walks through the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm 23:4). And it means life would not be certain for all of us. It means life would not always be happy. It will at times be blue.

And often, those who lose hope just run away. The trials they meet cause them to give up. They quit in total despair. But the best thing to do is to run to. Not to run away. It means to run to God in bad times. Just like what David did.

King Saul felt jealous of David. And he wanted to kill him. Why was it so?

David faced giant Goliath at the time when no one dared to fight him. For both the king and the soldiers of Israel were frightened. They could not face in battle this enemy from the Philistines.

Goliath stood nine feet and 10 inches tall. That is why he got the nerve to challenge Israel. The prize? The Philistines would serve them if they would defeat him. If he wins, Israel must serve them. He was so sure in himself he would win. So he made fun of God and the army of Israel.

But only David dared to take the challenge. His passion for his God made him defeat Goliath. And he killed him. So the Philistines fled. Then the people of Israel began to admire David. But King Saul did not like him. For he saw him as a man who took the people’s hearts away from him. So he pursued him to kill him.

In the midst of his ordeal, David called unto God through a song. “Be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You. And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed by.” (Psalm 57:1)

God was merciful to David. For no matter how much King Saul had tried, his plans against David did not succeed. Later, the king realized that God watches over David. And He makes sure that he is protected from all harm.

Will God do the same to us? Will He protect us just like what He did to David? Will He provide all that we need so that hope will not leave us? Yes He will! For He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7). He cares about us. No matter what happens He will stay by our side. (Psalm 118:6). That is His promise to all who make Him their delight.

And why should we worry? If the Lord cares for the sparrows, will He not also care for us? God daily feeds those small birds and they do not fall on the ground without Him knowing it. But come to think of it. Jesus said we are of more value than they. (Matthew 6:25-26)

Let us run to God. Whatever season of life we are in. We can always count on Him.

Reflection:

1. Why are troubles good at taking our sight away from God?

2. How do you handle fear and worry?

There are no battles that can defeat us if God is on our side.

Psalms 30

Some situations grow from bad to worse. They seem out of control and we cry in frustration and hope that they will soon be over. With problems pouring like rain makes us wonder how we shall be able to rise above them.

These are what we call tough days. We get anxious or quick-tempered when they come. Some people offer help but oftentimes we go through these all alone. We hold on to the will to fight to survive. For at times, others who come to our rescue would just complicate matters.

One story Charles Swindoll cited in his book “Come Before Winter and Share My Hope” tells an example of this. He narrated that there were four guys who decided to go mountain climbing one weekend. In the middle of the climb, one of them slipped over a cliff, dropped about sixty feet, and landed with a thud on the edge below. The other three, hoping to rescue him, yelled, “Joe, are you okay?”

“I’m alive…but I think I broke both my arms!”

“We’ll toss a rope down to you and pull you up. Just lie still!” said the three.

“Fine,” Joe answered.

A couple of minutes after dropping one end of the rope, they started tugging and grunting together, working feverishly to pull their wounded companion to safety. When they had him about three-fourths of the way up, they suddenly remembered he said he had broken both of his arms.

“Joe! If you broke both your arms, how in the world are you hanging on?”

Joe responded, “With my TEEEEEEEEEEETH….”

You see, other people can’t really help much during tough days.

But though each of those tough days may come in different faces, we must believe that God cares and He can do something.

We may be at the point of giving up because of numerous trials that came to us just recently. But even if we find them hard to bear, God wants us to find encouragement from His Word. It will help us know the things that we ought to know and do when we face those difficult days.

Let us not faint but keep on trusting God. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Let us refuse to be discouraged. Let us keep our faith alive and active.

Tough days cannot threaten us for as long as we trust God’s character. He will not fail those who trust Him.

Reflection:

1. To whom do you first run whenever you face trials? Why?

2. Are you facing tough days? How will you fight discouragement?

God stands by us during tough days

Luke 18:1-8

When we pray, men listen to our words. But God listens to our hearts. Words are vain if our heart is not in the words that we utter. Words alone will not make sense before God. For God who is in heaven reads our heart and mind, and He knows exactly what our motives are when we pray to Him.

Prayer is the way through which we can talk to God. But it does not need to be long or flowery. In fact there were short prayers recorded in the Bible that made an impact in the world. Who would ever forget the prayer of Jesus while He was hanged on the cross?

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

It tells a lot about how much God had loved humanity. It tells what God was willing to do to redeem the people from their sins. It tells that Jesus would not want His death to be held against His accusers. For His death will soon give life to all men. His prayer tells us that He took our place. That He paid for the sins that we, and our fathers, did.

Do we know that the same Jesus who prayed that short prayer tells us to be straight in our prayers? He said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

Our prayers should be done in faith. Otherwise it is not a prayer but just a wish.

Elijah prayed a prayer that showed his faith in God. “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that

You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” (1 Kings 18:37)

Israel has turned to idols. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel gave a boost to it. They set up Baal worship in all Israel, causing the nation to turn away from God. They even have their own set of prophets. And they knew nothing about what God has to say to His people.

God charged Elijah to face those false prophets. They met at the Mount Carmel for a duel. This time, God will show them who He is. So Elijah came up with a test.

Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. If they could call on Baal and all their other gods, and if Baal could burn the sacrifice they placed on their altar, then they could tell that Baal is truly God.

But Elijah continued that if he calls on his God and He answers him, and burns the sacrifice he placed on the Lord’s altar, then they must know that the God on whom he has called is the one and only True God. And to make his challenge tougher, he asked them to pour so much water on the Lord’s altar, which he repaired.

The prophets of Baal prayed for long hours. But there was no god that answered them. They even wounded some parts of their bodies but not a single fire came down to burn their sacrifice.

The fire then stands for God’s power and His approval of the sacrifice being offered to Him. And at last it was Elijah’s turn. He was confident that His God would hear him. So he prayed. And the Lord answered!

“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38)

Elijah was so sure of what God was about to do. He dared to believe. He knew God would use the incident to turn the people’s hearts back to Him. For God would likewise perform what Elijah asked of Him. That is because he believed Him.

The things that God tells us to believe are the same things that He promises He would give us. Then why fail to trust Him? It is never worthless to trust God. (Psalm 34:8)

Reflection:

1. Why do people utter long prayers?

2. If you will recall a prayer that you uttered before God long ago, which today remains unanswered, what is it? What made you stop praying about it? Why should you need to keep praying about it?

When we pray, let us do it straight and trust that God will answer.

Acts 12:18-32

When we look around and see the wicked prosper, we begin to grow tired of being good. We start to ask why we bother to live godly lives when the bad ones do otherwise. We wonder why they thrive despite the wicked deeds they do.

It was the same picture that Asaph saw. And he was bitter. He wrote a psalm about it and we have it in Psalm 73.

Asaph knew that God is good and that He cares for the righteous. But he confessed that he nearly lost faith in Him when he envied the proud. He looked with sourness at the sight that they succeed while they do mischief.

What Asaph did not know was the fact that life is not that trouble-free for the wicked. It is not true that they make it at all times. They are not always strong. They also feel pain like other men do. They also have struggles as all men have. They do not have all their hearts could wish.

Asaph understood the plight of the wicked only until he came into the presence of God. There he realized what would befall them in the end. God impressed upon him that their end is tragic.

Hence Asaph wrote, “Surely You set them in slippery places. You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, so Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind…” (vv. 18-21)

What Asaph thought of wicked men is also what we have thought of them. And like him, we lose sight of faith at

times. We may think that God is doing nothing while the wicked prosper in the face of their evil deeds. We may think that He has forgotten us.

But He Himself is our sure reward. He wants us to stay in the path of faith – where He is. He wants us to fix our eyes upon Jesus – the One who gave us the faith and will likewise bring an end to it. (Hebrews 12:2)

What happens in the world is not bound to stay forever. God has the final say. Only what He has affirmed to stay will stay. As His Word said, “The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. But the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:4-6)

We need to see things the way God sees them. When we do, we will not need to envy the wicked. Hence we shall be able to say with Asaph, “Whom have I in heaven but You? My flesh and my heart fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)

Reflection:

1. What do you think you have that a wealthy and wicked person may not have? Why?

2. Make a list of all kinds of blessings that you have received from God since the time you came to know Him. Write down what you felt afterwards.

The best way to fight envy is to count our blessings.

James 1:2-12

People would always want their lives to be safe and secure. But it does not happen in real life. And often, God would take away from us those things that we depend on. He does it because He wants us to trust that He can and will help us when life seems uncertain for us.

On board a ship, Jesus bade His disciples to cross the other side of the lake with Him after a day’s ministry. The lake, which is known as Sea of Galilee, is 680 feet below, 150 feet deep, and surrounded by hills. The Bible scholars claim that the physical features of this lake often lead to sudden windstorms that cause extremely high waves that sometimes reach 20 feet.

While they were sailing on, a furious storm came and threatened to wreck their ship. The waves were gigantic. And the threat to their life was so real. But what frightened them most was the sight that Jesus their Lord was just sleeping at the back of the boat.

They wakened Him up, shouting, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace be still!” And there was a great calm.

He asked them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:38-40)

We, too, often face all sorts of storms in life. And we also feel tossed by the waves like what happens to a small boat in the sea. Then we come to see how weak we are. And we cry in despair.

The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ power when He was with them. But there were times that they just took it lightly. They doubted if He could work in situations like the coming of a fierce storm.

There is no reason why God cannot display His power. He is not in a deep sleep just like what the disciples thought of Jesus. For when He slept in the midst of a storm, it does not mean that He did not care. Rather it tells us that there is no power on earth that could be above His. It tells us that nothing can shake Him. That He is in control.

When we are caught in the storms of life, it is easy to think that God has lost control. That He could not help us at all. God is sovereign. If we will put our faith in Him, we will see His hands at work behind everything that happens in our lives.

Jesus’ words to His disciples after He calmed the storm imply that He was hurt. They had seen many times the miracles Jesus did yet these did not help to make them believe Him. Not until He died and rose again. Only then they were convinced that Jesus indeed is God and worth trusting.

Reflection:

1. Jesus was sleeping in the boat when a fierce storm hit, which caused His disciples to be terrified. How did you view Jesus here the first time you read it?

2. Was there a time that you blamed God for not helping you at once in the trials you faced? Why? What lessons did you learn from it?

Life’s “storms” give us the chance to know that God works miracles.

Psalms 107

They say that after every storm is a cloud with silver lining. It may not be exactly true. Because if you are on board a plane, you will see the silver lining of the sun’s reflection above a looming storm. There the thick and dark clouds roll fast.

How can we know this if we are way below the dark clouds of a coming storm? Instead we panic when we see a lightning strike and hear a thunder roar. And yet we are just like that when we come face to face with “storms” in our lives.

But God is committed to us. He will not abandon us during such times. What He wants is that we learn how to look at life’s struggles in a better perspective. It means we must see that He who is above every storm of life is with us.

The Lord’s disciples came to know this truth one eventful night. They were to go to the other side of Galilee with Jesus and they must cross the lake. While on boat, there arose a great windstorm. The waves beat into the ship so that it was now full of water. (Mark 4:37)

The disciples panicked and did all they could to stop the boat from sinking. But it was too late and beyond their control anymore.

Meanwhile Jesus was in the rear end of the boat and was fast asleep. Peter, James, John and other seasoned fishermen with them were doing their best to save their lives and that of others from drowning. Till they realized that the Lord was only sleeping.

They awoke Him up and nagged on Him. “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” They grilled Him on how

He could sleep so comfortably in the midst of a storm while they were all panicking.

So Jesus arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39). And they were all set in awe of Him.

Just like the disciples, we may think God leaves us in times of sorrows. But that is not true. What happens though is that those times reveal what’s inside our heart.

God uses those moments to purge and cleanse our heart. He wants us to see how we respond to life’s tests. From there, He would offer help as we ask Him to.

God is there to sharpen our faith in Him. He does not want us to perish. After all, He is over and above the “storms and dark clouds.”

A prophet wrote, “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm. And the clouds are the dust of His feet.” (Nahum 1:3)

Dark clouds suggest God’s presence. Oswald Chambers put it this way. “God cannot come near us without clouds. He does not come in clear shining brightness. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child. That is a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows.”

God wants to reveal Himself to us through dark times of our life and not just to help us through these. So the moment dark times approach us, we should all the more welcome those silver linings that come with them.

Then we can say with Nahum the prophet, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7)

Reflection:

1. Are you facing trials? Are you troubled? Think of ways on how you can focus on God who is the Source of your strength.

2. What makes you faint in times of trouble?

The dark times of life gives us the chance to peek through the glory of God.

Exodus 15:1-21

Nothing is too hard for God to do. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Whatever good thing we desire can come to pass. But we have to give God the chance to perform it. That desire may have been lost in unbelief. But God tells us today that all things are possible with Him. (Matthew 19:26)

If you seek for things that agree with His will, He will do them. If you obey Him and ask for blessings that He promised to give them who obey, they shall be yours. Blessings shall not only follow you. They shall overtake you. (Deuteronomy 28:2)

Does it take long for God to give you what you are asking of Him? If it does, there are three things you should know. He answers yes and gives it to you at once if He knows you need it in that instant and it will not harm you. He answers no because you will not really need it and it will surely harm you. He tells you to wait because it is not yet the time for you to have it though you really need it.

The problem is, He will not tell you those answers bluntly. That is where should faith take place. So we need to be in touch with Him. It is in our fellowship with Him that we can know how He answers our prayers.

God can do all things. It is for us to believe. We must not only believe that He can do what we ask of Him. We must believe that He will.

What is your urgent prayer? What breaks your heart most? What makes you sleepless and restless? Turn it over to God. He knows best what to do with it. He knows what to give you. And He will give it to you. Only believe. For all things are possible to those who believe. (Mark 9:23)

The greater the pressure, the greater the pain, the more we should rely on God. With Him and in Him there is no dead-end. There is always another turn that leads to victory when He is with you. He does not run out of means to meet your need. He has a million ways to touch you.

It is not fair to think that God does not care. In fact He feels our hurt. He knows just how much we could take in or bear. He does not allow a weight to bear down on us if we could not handle it. (1 Corinthians 10:13). He promised to help us and He will.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)

Reflection:

1. What is your urgent need? Jot it down and the reason why God should meet it.

2. Do you know a thing that God can do if He wants but still He will not? What could it be? What might hinder God from doing it?

There is no limit to what God can do.

John 1:43-51