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Leg 4 Day 11
Signs: The End of the Age
Jesus In Us
Scripture:
Matthew 24:1-14
MATTHEW 24:1-14 (NIV)
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
SEE ALSO:
MARK 13:1-13; LUKE 21:5-19
Life Lessons from Jesus:
Although Jesus repeatedly makes a point of reminding us that nothing here on earth will last, that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope alive while we’re here. There is always hope. There are always reasons to hold onto what we believe in and to continue choosing to be the kind of people we were intended to be.
When the disciples asked when the destruction of the Temple would happen, Jesus instead responded with descriptions of the future. He focused, particularly on the time leading up to His return—meaning the ending of the world the way it is now. He assured us that times will get harder. The world will only become more and more of a mess, but He asked us to stand firm.
Standing firm means continuing to love when it’s hard, continuing to have faith when it feels nearly impossible, and continuing to hold up our word even as it becomes increasingly difficult to do so. It means continuing to have compassion for others even when we feel humanity has been stripped down. Our lives continue to be a testament to His love, even when the world is falling down around us.
The WAY:
Consider these questions as you reflect on today’s reading:
What does Jesus mean by “birth pains”?
What healthy things can we do for ourselves and others when we’re faced with especially hard times?
Prayer:
Jesus, I pray for strength in the face of everything yet to happen in my life. Help me not to lose my compassion for others and to continue to be the kind of person You would be proud of. Don’t let me lose hope. In Your name, Amen.