Matthew 24:3-14
Jesus is going to return. Many of us believe it is very soon. When you read the signs, you understand we are in the season. Soon it will be the Day.
Jesus wanted us to understand the times. V.36 says no one knows the day and hour but the Father. And yet we see wars, famine, plague, earthquakes and other natural disasters all around us. It seems that we are witnessing what has long been in Biblical prophecy.
One of the signs that isn’t mentioned as frequently: hate. Verse 10 tells us that betrayal and hate will be the way of the world in the last days. Right now, this sign seems to be coming to pass. The world is eaten up with hate and discord. Traditional family values are under attack. Our children are confused about right and wrong. Lawlessness will abound. And the love of many will grow cold, according to the Scriptures.
Church, it is vitally important that we understand this: our love must NOT grow cold. If hate and lawlessness are to be the way of the world, the church can only stand victorious if we press back against them. How do we do that? Certainly not with more hate. How did Jesus interact with the world? Always in love. We advance the Kingdom of God by the love we have for one another, and for all people.
Don’t let the world situation, the confusion, the politics, the evil decisions, don’t let them throw ice water on the flame of your love. As people lose heart and give up, it is the church that has to have a roaring fire of love within.
We have to look to Jesus and ask God every day to give us a brand new revelation of his love. We need to encourage one another and stoke the fire! Does the love of Jesus ever grow cold? No, never! His passion for us never fades, and it is his love that will carry us through the coming loveless times.
John 13:33-35
“Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus said. That’s not easy. In fact, that’s sacrificial. That’s compassionate, caring, profound, REAL love, and often it will cost you something. And that will always be the mark of a church that is composed of true Believers: the love of Jesus will be evident. The love of Jesus will be preached, and the love of Jesus will be lived out.
The love of Jesus is magnetic to the lost, especially in cold times when hate has consumed so many. We won’t need to even announce that we’re Jesus’ disciples. The love we show to others will announce it. And as the world grows colder and more loveless in the last days, the church is going to stand out as a beacon of hope.
The colder the world grows, the more important it will be to keep the warmth of our love turned up to the maximum. Take every opportunity to put more fuel on the fire of love within your heart. Read your Bible. Pray. Go to church when the doors are open. And the rest of the time, stay in the sanctuary of God within your own heart. Draw nearer to Him all the time, and you’ll find the love of God will be flowing from you to everyone.
God bless you all! Happy Thanksgiving and merry, merry Christmas.
