Thirty pieces of silver

Thirty pieces of silver

Scripture

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Matthew 26:14-16

Observation:

Right after the anointing of Jesus by the sinful woman, Matthew now gives the account of Judas Iscariot going over to the chief priests and asking for a reward to betray Jesus. The chief priests are delighted and count out for him thirty pieces of silver, which was equivalent to 4 months wages for a skilled laborer. From that time one, Judas was on the look out for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.

The character of Judas Iscariot has long been a source of mystery and intrigue through the ages. Traitor of traitors… How could he betray the Master who specially chose him from the crowds to be one of only twelve close disciples? How could he after seeing all the miracles and hearing all the teachings of Jesus even consider to betray Him? How could he not believe Jesus is the Son of God after all those experiences?

What caused his downfall? The first obvious answer would be greed. Judas, being the treasurer of the funds donated for the Lord’s ministry would often help himself to the monies. Somehow, he let money become his god, and ultimately, when he saw money being wasted on devout worship to His master, something snapped, and he decided he had enough of following the Lord. Calculative as ever, he reasoned he should at least get one final bribe by betraying His master and proceeded to see the Chief Priests.

Some theologians surmise that Judas had expected Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and become the ruler there and then. Naturally, he expected great riches to also follow, being one of those close to Jesus. Along the way, with all the talk of the Lord going to Jerusalem to die, he must have become increasingly irritated and despaired that he had wasted so much time following someone destined to fail and die. He did not understand. He was disappointed, disillusioned, and ultimately lost his faith.

Application:

It is easy to condemn Judas Iscariot, but the truth is, we all have a part of us that is just like him. Naturally, we all want more – more money, more comfort, more entertainment. God allowed King Solomon to feed his greed and he accumulated and experienced everything he could under the sun. In the end, he concluded that it was all meaningless. Judas started off by small sins, siphoning off a little here, a little there. He thought no one knew. He thought people did not know his secret sins. The sin started small, but grew and grew until it culiminated in ultimate betrayal. Beware the little foxes. When their tails catch fire, they can burn up the whole field!

Prayer:

We praise You and love You, Lord, for Your great love for us. You chose us as we are, in spite of our weaknesses. Help us O Lord, and keep us away from temptation, even the little foxes…… Let us be faithful and strong, and be true to You to the end. Protect us and keep us safe always we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.

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A jar of perfume

A jar of perfume

Scripture:

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,² “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ⁵ “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26:1-13

Observation:

Just as the Lord prophesied, the chief priests and elder of the people plotted with the high priest to arrest Jesus and kill him. They could no longer stand His popularity among the people and His open opposition and judgment of their ways. Even in so doing, they were worried that their actions would cause a riot among the people. Even in their evil plans, they were not willing to risk losing their favor among the people.

As the time of these events neared, the Lord was in Bethany in the home of Simon the leper when a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. It was an act of devoted worship and other gospels record her as weeping as she anoints Jesus. The disciples are indignant that she has wasted the expensive perfume in this way as it could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor. The Lord, however, deeply appreciates her gesture, and remarks that though they will always have the poor, they will not always have Him. He goes on to prophesy again how her actions are actually preparing Him for His death and burial, and also declares that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, her actions here would also be remembered in memory of her.

Application:

The deep act of devotion of this woman for Jesus has long been lauded as a supreme act of deep worship that our Lord fully deserves because of what He has done for us. Her actions spoke of her deep love for the Lord, and she sensed that with the Lord’s death imminently approaching, she had to take the opportunity to pour out her tremendous love and gratitude to Him for forgiving and restoring her. She did not care what others think. She did not bother about the judgment of the men. She only had her attention fully focused on showing her devotion and love for Jesus. How great it would be if only we could learn to love the Lord like that and worship Him like that, with such deep love, such deep intimacy, such deep devotion.

The Lord’s statement “the poor you will always have with you” in no way demeans the poor, but instead shows the supreme importance of first and foremost putting our worship of the Lord first. Giving to the poor is important and the Lord always has the poor at heart, but priority is our worship and relationship with the Lord.

Beware having that critical and judgmental spirit that the disciples had. When others worship God lavishly, do not judge them but instead, focus on our own worship to the Lord, seeking to worship Him deeply, passionately, intimately,

Prayer:

We thank You Lord Jesus for the great example of this sister who worshipped you so deeply, with such devotion and love and intimacy and passion. Help us to learn to worship You like that, Lord. Help us remember and treasure deeply in our hearts how You saved us, and lifted us when we were without hope. Grant us that same devotion and passion we pray.

Turn us away from a critical hard or judgmental attitude, but instead focus on worshipping You ourselves more deeply, more passionately, more lavishly. We praise You and worship You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Sheep and the Goats

The Sheep and the Goats

Scripture:

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

Observation:

In the last part of His discourse on the events of the End times, the Lord speaks of the final judgment when He will sit on His glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered before Him. At this throne, there will be a great separation, between the sheep and the goats. The sheep are those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, were hospitable to strangers, clothed the needy, looked after the sick and visited those in prison. The goats are those who did not do any of these. Those who did the good deeds were deemed to have done it to the Lord Himself while those who did were deemed to have neglected the Lord Himself. From this, we see the love the Lord has for the poor and needy of the world, even equating Himself to them. Throughout Scripture, we see God’s heart for the poor and needy, and there is a call for us too to have that heart of compassion for the them too.

However, does this passage apply to Christians? We know that we are saved by grace, through faith, not by works so that no one can boast. Our deeds do not save us. It is only our faith in Jesus Christ that enables us to receive God’s gift of salvation. Scripture is true and thorough on this fact. What then is this passage about?

To understand this event better, we need to compare it with Revelation 22, which describes a great White throne where the dead are raised to life and judged according to their works. Books are opened, which record the deeds of each person, and there is also a book of life. Those not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.

This Great White Throne event in the book of Revelation only takes place after the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ, much later after Jesus has come in the skies and brought the true Christians to Himself in the Rapture.

Through the centuries that man lived, there must have been millions who did not hear the gospel, who did not have a chance to know Jesus and be saved. How will they be judged? According to their works, and God is completely fair in this. The way the sheep here responded, it appeared they did not know Jesus, but those who were inherently good and helped the poor and needy, it appears that Jesus allowed them to also enter Heaven. It would appear though that this group would not include anyone who rejected Christ, for the Lord also stated that whoever acknowledged Him, He would acknowledge before God the Father in Heaven while those who disowned Him, He would disown. This would also not apply to any who received the mark of the Beast, for Scripture confirms that all who do are condemned.

In Romans 2:14-16, Paul said “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Interpreting this, it seems that when Gentiles by nature do things required by the law, they become a law to themselves even though they don’t have the law. Likewise, when Gentiles by nature act out kindness like a follower of Christ, even when they have not yet known Christ, it is as if they are a follower themselves. And this is consistent with Paul’s final reference to the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, which will happen when the books showing the record of their lives are opened.

Application:

Although, we as Christians are not judged by our works, the good deeds described by the Lord here are ministries that please Him so much so that He considers the same kindness as done to Himself personally. We would do well to participate in giving or serving in ministries that feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the poor, or visit the sick and those in prison.

The same principle mentioned in the last point about Gentiles also applies inversely. If a Christian by nature does evil things that a true follower of Christ wouldn’t do, even while knowing Christ, it is as if they are not a true believer. As the Lord warns, some will come to Him at the end and say “Didn’t we cast out demons and perform miracle in Your name?” and He will reply “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers”. We should never take our salvation for granted, but make it our continual desire to seek to know Him deeply and intimately more and more as our Lord and Savior. Instead of judging others, we need to remain humble and focused on the Lord of our Salvation.

It is interesting to note how no typical bad deeds like stealing, killing, or even lying was mentioned of the goats. They were guilty seemingly only of sins of omission yet were allotted the same faith as the devil and his angels. This is consistent with the fate of the servant who did nothing but bury his bag of gold in the ground. He had not done anything noticeably bad or evil other than omitting to invest his gold. Many Christians think they are ok living life to themselves, perhaps attending church on Sundays, but do no good deeds and help no one. How terrible it would be if we imagined ourselves to be saved and all but end up missing the Rapture and instead standing before the Great White Throne judgment as a goat who did nothing for Christ.

Prayer:-

We thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your love for the poor and needy, for the way You provide and take care of them. Give us that same heart of compassion for them O Lord. Teach us and lead us to ways that we might serve and help the hungry and the thirsty, the poor, the sick, and those in prison.

We also pray, Lord, that You teach us to be humble and always thankful for the great salvation You have granted us. May we always remain faithful to the end, In Jesus name, Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Our bags of gold

Our bags of gold

Scripture:

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Observation:-

In yet another allusion to His second coming, the Lord gives us the parable of the bags of gold, which is similar to the parable of the talents and the parable of the minas which also tell of the same subject. A master gives bags of gold to three of his servants, each according to his ability. One is given 5, another 2, and the last one only 1.

The first one at once puts his money to work and gains 5 more bags of gold. The second one does likewise and gains 2 more. The third however hides his money in the ground and does nothing. When the Master returns he happily rewards the first and second servant according to their success, but turns harshly on the third servant and throws him out, again alluding to hell, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is interesting how the Lord uses investment language in this parable, which can certainly relate to those in accounting and finance! “ Notice how the first servant “put his money to work”. We work to earn money but the money we have already earned can be put to work to multiply itself through investments. In every investment, there is an element of risk, and the higher the risk, the greater the potential return. Even while we sleep or eat, our money is working for us in the place of our investment, so to speak. The first and second investors got a 100% return on their initial investment, doubling their master’s money to his pleasure.

However, the third servant chose the approach of taking absolutely zero risk from his point of view by hiding the money in the ground. However, the Master scolded him for not even putting the money with the bankers to earn interest. Technically, bankers can also go bust, but in general, they are usually the closest thing to giving risk-free returns for most people.

Application:

This parable applies to all of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He is our Master. We are his servants.  Each one of us is given one life, with our own unique set of abilities, strengths and weaknesses. We each have unique upbringing and experiences and unique world of people that only we interact with. What are the bags of gold to us? Jesus is certainly not referring to worldly riches which decay and rust like all earthly possessions. Instead, He exhorts His disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and store up treasures in heaven where rust and moth cannot destroy.

Our initial bag of gold would be likened to our initial conversion, when we first received the salvation of God by believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Investing this gold that we received would be likened to going to church with joy, learning and seeking the knowledge of God, experiencing the joy of serving God in church or the marketplace, giving to the poor and needy, learning to share with and pray for the unsaved. As we invest in the things of God, doing the things that we know will please Him, we continue to grow in maturity and receive more and more from Him in rich experience and capacity to bless others.

In contrast, consider the Christian who after his salvation does nothing thereafter but continue with his own life, focused only on his own wants and desires, without further thought for God other than having a perceived security for salvation. We must beware for we are saved for a purpose, to serve God, to grow in Him, to be a blessing to others. We are not saved to just do nothing and wait for Jesus to come!

The equivalent here of at least putting the money with the bankers could mean going to church on Sunday, paying one’s tithes, and perhaps serve a little here and there. However, there is no significant growth and little reward from the Master when He returns. We need to strive for more in God, to grow more and more in Him, in experience and service.

The savvy investor watches over his investment closely, to ensure it is doing well and protecting his return. If necessary, when a better investment opportunity arises, he is quick to switch his holdings to pursue a better return, all the while properly balancing risk and reward. As he continues to invest, he learns and becomes a better investor.

For us too, it is the same. We need to seek God constantly seeking to grow. It is His will that we move on from faith to faith, from glory to glory. We must not become satisfied and content where we are in God. We need to continue pursuing more and more from Him. Smith Wigglesworth once said that if you are not moving forward, you are backsliding. We need to ask God for more and more passion and Spirit and fire from Him for us to go deeper in the Lord. Invest in the things of the Lord, and see how magnificent our returns in Him!

Prayer:

We praise You and thank You, Lord for Your glory, Your purpose, Your calling to us. We thank You for the bags of gold we have received, the initial call that drew us to You, that led us to Your salvation. Let us not be like the third servant who hid this great salvation away and did nothing only to lose it completely. Instead, Lord, let us move on from this great salvation to greater faith, greater heights, even as we seek You and desire to go deeper in You. Teach us, Lord, to invest in the things of God, to turn our eyes away from temporal things but to pursue the things of lasting value, like Your Word, like Your service, like spending time in prayer, and in communion with You. We bless You and thank You, Lord, for the great truths You reveal to us. Be with us always we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.   

Fire in the lamps

Fire in the lamps

Scripture:

 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ ¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ ¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

Observation:-

Continuing along the same vein of parables concerning His second coming, the Lord gives the parable of the wise and foolish virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. 5 were foolish and took their lamps without bringing any oil while 5 were wise and remembered to take oil along with them. Presumably, these virgins were to be part of the bridegroom’s procession and were required to hold lighted lamps as part of the ceremony. The bridegroom was a long time in coming and the virgins fell asleep. At midnight, the bridegroom arrived to loud proclamation and the virgins hurried to meet him. As their lamps were going out, the foolish virgins rushed to buy more oil. The bridegroom arrived and was warmly greeted by the wise virgins who joined him in the wedding banquet. Later, when the foolish virgins came back again, they found the door shut, and the bridegroom refused to acknowledge them.

Similar to the previous parable of the good and faithful servant, this parable is about being prepared for the Lord’s coming. Throughout the Bible, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit and reminds us of the importance of keeping ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit. Another Scripture warns us not to quench the Spirit, and Paul exhorts us to walk in the Spirit, to be filled with the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit. John the Baptist prophesied how Jesus would come after Him and would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The presence of the Holy Spirit comes with fire, and again is consistent with the lamps being lit by oil to give fire and light in the parable.

Application:-

The Lord wants us to be Christians filled with His Spirit and on fire for Him. In Revelation, it is written how the Lord will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. We need to never lose that fire, that passion, that desire to receive more and more from God. How do we get that fire? We need to earnestly desire it, and ask of God our Father. How much will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Its not about asking once or asking flippantly, but asking earnestly and with passionate desire, like the widow who would not stop knocking on the judges’ door. First desire, and then ask with all our heart.

How do we keep that fire? We must seek God in purity of heart, to ask God to purify our hearts, to purge out the dross, the distractions and desires of the world and its attractions. When our eyes and heart stray to worldly things, our fire dies down, and life becomes mundane and lifeless again in a spiritual sense. Do not be satisfied with that. Cry out for fire again from God! Do not give up! But call to Him “Lord, Fire! Fire! Fire!” It is His Spirit and His fire that will drive us and give us the strength and passion to overcome in the last days, when the love of most grows cold, and even loved ones may turn against us.

Prayer:-

We praise You, Heavenly Father, for You love us and give to us generously of Your precious Spirit who guides us and leads us and fills us with Your precious fire! Stir Your Spirit within us O Lord to seek You more to desire You more to want more and more from You. Let us not be satisfied with life in the doldrums, with a life that just goes through the motions without a genuine, passionate relationship with You. Give us more passion, more love, more fire for You, we pray, precious Lord Jesus! Kindle us with Your passion we pray. Set us aflame with Your fire, Lord! Do not let the flame die down within us, but stir that passion again to grow and burn and light up that Your glory may shine like a city on the hill! Pour out more of Your Spirit on us we pray. Let Your Spirit overflow in us, so that we may have Your might river flowing through us and out of us to bless others, to touch others, to bring Your healing and love to many. May Your name be praised forever, O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Which type of servant

Which type of servant

Matthew 24:45-51

Scripture:

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Observation:

At the end of His prophecy of the end times and His second coming, the Lord gives His disciples a curious parable. The picture given is of a servant put in charge by his master to be in charge of all the servants in His household, with the specific responsibility of giving them their food at the proper time. Now this servant has two choices leading to very different outcomes. Firstly, he can be faithful and wise and discharge his responsibility faithfully. If at any time the Master comes back, He will be pleased and even put him in charge of all His possessions.  Secondly, this same servant could also choose to say to himself “Aah, my Master is away a long time” and proceed to beat his fellow servants and indulge himself in drink with drunkards. When his master returns, at an hour not expected, the punishment is death, for he will be cut to pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is an expression the Lord uses time and again to depict the situation in hell.

The first thing we gather from this passage is that we are all servants when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Master and we are His servants. We are to serve Him, to worship Him. Too often, the gospel has been turned the other way around so that it seems like God is serving us. The popular “Cat and Dog theology” concept explains this most precisely. The cat says “You feed me and take care of me, I must be god” while the god says “You feed me and take care of me, You must be God”. We are not on earth just to be blessed by God, though that is one primary aspect of being a Christian. We are on earth because we are to serve God, and it must be our daily goal to see how we may serve Him more and more. Service is not confined to missionary service or service in Church, but in our whole lifestyle, in the way we treat others, in the thoughts that we think, in the words that we say, in the prayers that we pray, in the thanksgiving and praise that we give God. A non-serving Christian is a paradox in itself.

What is the demeanor of a servant? Humble, helpful, polite, regarding others as better than ourselves. However, too often, we are arrogant, easily angry and unwilling to help others. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many, we too who follow Jesus need to learn to serve.

The specific duty for the servant in question was to provide food for his fellow servants at the proper time. The unspoken meaning here refers to how we treat those lower than us. There are poor among us. Do we care for their needs? Do we provide for the hungry? In another parable, the Lord says that what we did not do for them, we did not do for Him, and vice versa. It is good and important for us who follow Christ to be involved in giving to ministries that serve the poor and marginalized of society. Nevertheless, in regard to service, we are to be faithful in whatever area God has commissioned us, with our hearts pure in seeking to please Him in all that we do.

On the other side, the behavior of beating up people doesn’t seem relevant to most of us. However, the root of this behavior is anger and unforgiveness. Do we shout and scream at waiters or staff because of “poor customer service?” Do we hold grudges? Do we harbor unforgiveness and anger in our hearts? Beware the Lord’s warning that even He who says “you fool” is in danger of the fire of hell, and that God will not forgive those who do not forgive others. Getting drunk with drunkards is probably a foreign possibility for most of us, however the root of this behavior is self-indulgence and lack of self-control. Have we allowed the lusts and desires of the world to so indulge us that we end up valuing them more than the things of God. The world of entertainment with PayTV, Ipads and Iphones offer great temptations to lure us away from seeking God and serving Him.

Application:-

We need to check ourselves to see if we have the mindset and attitude of a servant of Jesus Christ. Is it our desire to seek God and to serve Him? Or is it our desire to serve ourselves and our indulgences? Are we obedient to forgive and change our angry ways? When the Lord returns, will He find us serving Him faithfully or will He find us indulging ourselves and not showing love to our neighbors?

Prayer:

We praise and worship You Father God, for Your great and glorious love. We thank You, Lord for calling us to be Your Servants, to learn to serve You as our Lord and Master. Quicken our spirit we pray and give us that deep desire to want to know You more, to serve You more, to love You more. So abide in us we pray, that we live a life out of Your presence, letting Your Spirit flow through us to bless others, to serve others, to serve Your Holy name. Lead us away from temptations we pray, teach us to be focused on You alone, letting the things of the world recede and fade away. In Jesus name, Amen.

No one knows that day or hour

No one knows that day or hour

Scripture:-

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44

Observation:

After talking all about the signs preceding His coming, the Lord then tells his disciples how no one, not even the angels in Heaven or even the Lord Himself knows the day or hour that the Second coming will occur. It is a secret that only God the Father knows and it is His prerogative when this will happen. The signs and events around us give us an indication of the proximity of this Day, but no one will know the exact day and hour.

In speaking of this, the Lord draws a parallel of its suddenness with the days before the flood during the time of Noah. People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, all up to the day Noah entered the ark, and knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and drowned them all.

Again, the Lord speaks of the Rapture, the gathering of His people when He comes in the skies, describing how two men will be in the field, one taken and the other left and two women will be grinding with a hand mill, one taken and the other left.

Then He admonishes His disciples again to remember to keep watch, since we do not know on what day our Lord will come. Imagine if an owner knew a thief was coming sometime in the night. He would certainly keep watch to make sure he was prepared to intercept him. In the same way, we are called to be ready, as the Lord will come in an hour we do not expect Him.

Application:

Praise our Father in Heaven that He holds all secret things, and keeps necessary things secret for His good and perfect purposes. It is according to His great mercy that He prolongs the life of the earth, giving people everywhere the chance to repent and turn to Him.   

Heed the Lord’s warning to be watchful, not allowing ourselves to drift away into the pleasures and worries of the world until we forget this all important fact of His second coming which makes all other things immaterial in comparison. How do we keep watch? By constantly checking ourselves to see if we are right with the Lord, and ensuring we have a prayerful attitude and being close with the Lord, in our personal time and in our service and giving to the Lord.

Prayer:

We praise You Heavenly Father, for You hold all great secrets in Your hands. You have hidden the day and the hour according to Your perfect wisdom and goodness. We praise You for Your mercy that You are slow to anger and abounding in love, giving people everywhere time to repent and turn to You.

Protect us and sustain us we pray. Help us stay close to You, and be found worthy of Your coming. We praise You and love You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.