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.