Be Ready

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

BE READY

Matt 24:36-44

36 "No one knows about that day or hour, 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.

NIV

This could not be broken up into small bits because of the “therefore keep watch”. However, we still need to build up to what we are warned to be watchful. About this day or hour, no one knows. It is interesting that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are God, that is they are one, three in one, a mystery of sorts because we kind of get it, but not entirely. These words of Jesus explaining the Father knows what day and hour that Jesus will return riding on the clouds with his great army, or to appear in the sky to call us all up to meet him but Jesus does not know. We know that Jesus is right there at the right hand of the Father and that because he ascended back to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to be here with us and within us. So there are three distinct persons who are God, each being omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. It would be inconceivable to believe that one of the three is not all-powerful, all-knowing, and is able to be everywhere. Although, for a time, Jesus came in the form of his creation, limiting himself for that time to the constraints of the flesh. Nevertheless, here we are with the fact that the Father knows something that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit has that knowledge of. This poses us with the question of whether there is anything else that one of the three knows that the other two do not. Just a thought that we will not have an answer to, however, we do know the Father holds all the cards when it is time for Jesus to come back. We also know that as with Jesus and the Spirit, we too do not have that knowledge when the Father will say, “It is time”. So then how should we live? The people in the time of Noah did not even know what rain was, they were simply living life to their fullest, although bent toward the desires of the flesh rather than seeking after God. It would seem that Noah was the only righteous man among them, and God sought him out to be the way to save mankind. This is a great picture of the Cross, Noah in the ark, Jesus on the cross, saving mankind, Noah saving the flesh, Jesus, saving the soul. Because the people in the time of Noah were bent on living life according to their passions, we should be careful in what direction our lives are bent. We cannot be fence riders either. We cannot serve both God and money. We have to decide one or the other. True we must live in this life, and we must have someplace to live and work, for God instructed Adam that he would work all the days of his life, by the sweat of his brow he would work for his sustenance. We cannot just sit around and wait for Jesus to show up, we are to occupy until he comes. But that is the point, we are to be living life, with our eyes peeled for his return. Live to work as instructed until he comes, but ever watchful for his return. If we get so involved in the toil of our hands, thinking the purpose is to store up as much as we can so we can sit back relax and take life easy, but not keep our eyes focused on his return, we might well be deceiving ourselves. So then how should we live? It would seem the answer is simple, be ready!