“Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:42-44).
The verses quoted above aren’t the only place in the gospels where Jesus talks about judgment day. He also urges believers elsewhere to watch while we wait. But this instance from Matthew’s gospel is the most striking to me.
Jesus makes his point pretty clear, doesn’t he?
“Be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
As I reflect upon our Savior’s urgent call to be ready, I realize a couple of things: (1) As God’s child, I want to live each day like it’s my last, and (2) so often, to my shame, I don’t do that.
I fail to live like I’m prepared to meet Jesus when he returns or calls me home. I fail to reflect Christ’s love to the people in my life—my wife, daughter, parents, sisters, in-laws, friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. I fail to live in such a way that brings glory and praise to God with everything I think, say, and do.
God, forgive me! God, prepare me to meet you. Amen.
Dear Christian, if that’s your prayer too, the writer to the Hebrews has some great advice for us to take to heart and apply to our lives of faith. Here’s what we can do while we wait:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).
First, we hold to the hope we profess. Namely, that Jesus Christ has washed away our sins with his sacrifice on the cross in our place and that he has given us his perfect righteousness—his perfect readiness and preparation.
Even when we fail to live as those ready to meet our Lord, in and because of Jesus, we are ready, because we look to him and what he has done for us for our salvation.
Second, we meet together and look for ways to encourage one another to live as God’s children. How? We start with time spent in God’s Word—in worship and personal study—and we receive the Lord’s Supper with our fellow believers who hold to God’s teachings. The means of grace in Word and sacraments are where God grows us and strengthens our faith, assuring us of his forgiveness and love.
We remember our ultimate goal as God’s children: It isn’t making a name for ourselves in the world or getting rich or living the good life. It’s getting home to our Father in heaven.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we keep on doing these things!
In this Advent season, while we wait to celebrate Christ’s birth and wait for Christ to return, just as he has promised, we keep watch—ready to meet our Lord, whenever that day might come.
He who promised is faithful, and he says, “Look, I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:12).
Read through 116 short devotions on the gospels of Matthew and Mark in He Is the Christ, and discover how the Holy Spirit used the gospel writers’ words to teach you what it means that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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