They're Back Already
READ: Matthew 24:37-44
Having trust in Mary, her parents left her alone for the weekend while they went out of town. Before they left on Friday morning, they told her they would be back sometime Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. Instantly, Mary thought of what she could do that weekend, without her parents around. As soon as she got home, she got herself and her house ready for her "little" party. Before she knew it, Mary had about 50 people crammed into her house. It was about 4:00 AM before everyone left.
After her last "friend" walked out the door, she realized what a disaster the house was in. Food, cups and furniture were lying everywhere. Mary decided that she would sleep for just a few hours, and then clean up the house. Soon she was in a deep sleep. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Mary jumped to get the door. As she ran past the clock, she realized it was 3:00 in the afternoon already and decided the house really needed to be cleaned before her parents got home. Quickly Mary opened the door, and to her astonishment, her parents were standing on the porch. As soon as they walked in, they were furious. Mary felt bad that she had misused her privileges.
Just as Mary wasn’t expecting her parents to come back, so the exact time of Jesus' return on Judgment Day is uncertain. Only God the Father knows when Jesus will come back for us. For all we know, Jesus could return this very day or in another 1000 years. We are given some clues about his return in the Bible. Jesus said that things will be very much like in the time of Noah. People will be carrying on with their normal everyday activities and suddenly it might be Judgment Day. Because we do not know the day of His return, we should always be on our guard. The thought of Jesus’ return should always be on our minds and influencing our words and actions. Judgment Day is a very serious topic. Judgment Day is something that is guarnteed, and when it comes, there will be no time left to learn of Jesus and the salvation that is ours through faith. That makes carrying the message of salvation to an unbelieving world our top priority. Unlike unbelievers, believers have nothing to fear on Judgment Day, and that means we want to share the message of salvation with everyone we can!
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What are some things you can do to further prepare yourself for Judgment Day? How important is it to always be ready for Judgment Day?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to always be by your side to assure you of heaven on Judgment Day. Also, ask Him to help you to always be on your guard so that you are ready. Ask him for the opportunity and courage to share the message of salvation with others.