As most of you may have noticed, I enjoy sharing what I learned in my morning Bible reading time. The reason I do this is that I know that what I read is what God wants me to talk about. Also because I hope that by sharing what I have learned, it may encourage you to pick up your Bibles to see what you learn. Well, today is no different. Today, I want to share with you what I read in Matthew 24-25.

            Before I begin, I will say that these chapters are pretty heavy. In these chapters, Jesus talks about the destruction of the temple and the signs of the end times. To some, maybe these chapters seem bleak. I mean, Jesus is talking about the end times after all. However, there is so much we can learn from His words that can give us hope.

            The first thing that stood out to me is that, even though we are not given a specific time or date, Jesus tells us what to look out for. Three different times Jesus tells us to keep watch because we do not know the day or the hour of His coming. We can take this as a loving warning. Just as a parent would tell a child to look both ways before crossing the street, Jesus gives us this warning so that we may be prepared for His coming. Therefore, prepare yourselves.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42

            The second thing I noticed is that even in those dark and scary times, God will be with us. Aside from the fact that He promises us that He will not leave nor forsake us, we can see that, even in these times, His gospel will grow (Matthew 24:14). Maybe to some this just means that the church is growing. But you see, we are the church and the only way we grow is through Him. So, how can His church grow without Him? It can’t. Jesus will be with us through it all guiding us, strengthening us, and giving us hope.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” – Matthew 24:35

            Lastly, Jesus tells us how we are to spend the time in which we wait. We are to spend that time sharing His word and caring for our neighbors. In the parable of the talents, Jesus gives us an example. Each of us is given talents that we are to use to share God’s word. It could be the talent to preach, to teach, to sing, to paint, to write, to caretake, etc. Whatever your talent may be, don’t hide it. Share it with the world because it is what God has given you. By doing so, God will not only bless you, but you will have the chance to share His love with others and bless others. Jesus Himself said that by showing others kindness, mercy, love, and compassion, you are doing those things for Him too.

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”- Matthew 25:40

            I just want to say that we have an awesome God. A God who loves us unconditionally and who gave His life for us so that we may be saved. There is no other God like Him. That is one of the reasons I spend every Friday writing on this blog. I could sit here and name the countless reasons as to why I am so eager to share His word. Maybe one day I’ll take the time to share them with you. For now, I just want to encourage you all to grow closer to Him. You will find no other love like His. Read His word and then share it with others. Get to know Him now.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8