It all began when my elementary teacher told me, “If you’re going to get caught doing something, let it be something good.” This became my mantra; I only wanted to be caught doing something helpful, beneficial, productive. When the parents of those I was babysitting came home, they found me cleaning, not watching TV. If my boss came into my office unannounced, he would find me on the phone with a customer, not scrolling social media. In all areas of my life, I want to be caught doing something good.
In Matthew 24 Jesus tells the disciples that there would be a day when the people of God would be reunited with God, but to be aware because Jesus “is coming at an hour you do not expect” (v.44). Much like parents who tell the babysitter their helpful hints for caring for their children while they are away, Jesus gives us a few things to watch for so that we are ready for His return.
He tells us to look for those who will deceive us, coming in His name. He warns us to watch for wars and rumors of wars as nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes, persecution of the saints, betrayal, and lawlessness, and the love of many will grow cold—all while the good news of the kingdom is going out to all nations. In Genesis we find God grieved by the widespread evil and wickedness of humanity. But just as God found a faithful man in Noah, I pray He finds a faithful servant in me.
As I look around our world today, I feel the pain Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:8. Every generation could say they too have felt these groans. But let’s not be quick to move on. These warnings are worthy of our notice because of the position it puts our hearts in, postures of preparation and expectation for His presence. We want to be found doing His work and His will upon His return, ready and unified (Romans 13:12–14).
Thank you, Jesus, for Your Word, and Your promise that You will return for the living and the dead. May You return to find Your servants doing good work in the field with a plow in hand planting good seeds. Let us not only be hearers but doers of Your Word as we wait for Your coming. Eyes up, feet on the earth. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Leave a Reply
36 thoughts on "Jesus Teaches About His Return"
♥️
@Dee Dee–So thankful you were okay last night and got released!
@Mercy- love the idea of fasting the 3 days before Easter. I can’t fast completely (I am already underweight, please no comments, not a good thing), but I shall commit to NO COFFEE till Sunday morning! and praying during that time and an afternoon prayer. Thank you for the ideas to pray.
@Donna enjoy all your family! When I am with family I usually can’t get to the study till I am in bed at night!
Praying for the sister and two BIL’s and best friend! I had a comment typed with your name, that is when my computer refreshed and it was gone!
Covering you ALL in prayer!
Praying for you Katherine McVey that the treatment is happening with no hiccups! hugs!! You are a warrior!
Thank you for your prayers! My husband’s surgery went well on Monday, he needs to ice his eye and kind of just take it easy for next 10 days or so. We are praying for no excess bleeding since he restarted his plavix. As for me, I was in the ER last night, home now. My blood work and ekg were normal so I am to have an out patient holtor monitor and see a cardiologist. Hopefully no more episodes, thanks to all who prayed . Easter blessings to all of you my friends!
Sisters just wanted to say a quick hello, with my daughter and family here for 10 days and my son coming with kids, my time to read is limited. I’m trying hard to get on each day and to keep on my reading, but truthfully my concentration is all over the place. Prayers lifted as I read.
Happy Wednesday ladies! What a great mantra. I remember in dance class when I was younger a lot of the girls were just plain mean to the girls at the other dance stupid in town. I specifically remember my dance teacher saying I’ve heard every one of you say something mean about the other studio besides Kimberly. I’ve tried to carry that through my life remembering to always put kindness first. Jm not perfect and the older I get the less perfect I become. It feels good to know God loves us even when we aren’t our best selves but working towards being our best is the goal. Praying for you all today.
I, too, want to make fasting a regular part of my life. I’m so glad to see you being inspired by the book “Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin. After reading it, I WANT to fast. I see fasting as a privilege, rather than a burden. I did the Daniel Fast at the beginning of the year, and have seen results already. Also during Lent I have been fasting from certain things. Its such a blessing to be a part of God’s work in the world.
P.S on fasting **please do not fast if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, and on medication**
Ladies, I will be doing a 3-day fast starting tomorrow. Please join in so we together can seek God’s power and mighty deliverance.
Reasons for the fast is to repent/lament, ask God’s for breakthroughs, salvation for unsaved loved ones, mending of relationships, revealing of any hidden sins that are stealing/killing/destroying, and God’s power to break any evil chains of ongoing attacks, to cancel future attacks.
Please let me know if you like to join this fast for this Holy Week, in remembrance of the Lord’s presence in the garden of Gethsemane on Thursday, he was alone and in anguish, The gruesome sacrifice of the Cross on Good friday, the grief and silence of the grave on Saturday.
***Fasting details***
Thurs/Fri/Sat: from 5am-5pm: water only (no coffee, no tea, no juice, no food).
After 5pm, we can eat light: example: vegetables, grain (rice, quinoa, oats), toasts, water, juice. No meat, no alcohol, no sodas (Daniel inspired fast).
And God answered Daniel on the first day.
————-
5 things to ask the Lord during this 3-day fast:
– Salvation of unsaved loved ones, preservation of souls/lives in family line, now and many future generations descending from us- that none shall be lost, go astray, turn lukewarm.
– To undo any demonic attacks: ongoing and future, for God’s armies to go before us years from now, to cancel attacks that are meant to be released on us, our children, grandchildren, future great grandchildren, and future descendants. We fast to cancel these, to renounce demonic ties, to tear down any demonic altars and curses that might have our names dedicated to them. “That kind of demonic spirit comes out only if you use prayer and give up eating” (Matthew 17:21)
– Physical healing for the body (for ourselves, loved ones, etc.)
– Revealing of hidden sins in us that we can repent, and power to break free.
– Personal breakthroughs (healing, emotional healing, in marriage, finance, children, career, business, relationships, ministry etc.). Ask God to resurrect dead things in our lives, to raise dead bones back into a strong army.
I will go on SRT daily and share my prayer points during these 3 days.
You can join me to pray and you are encouraged to customize prayers onto your own situation and family circumstances, list names of unsaved loved ones, etc.
I want to start this new discipline of a regular fasting/praying/tithing life, encouraged by the book “Fasting” by pastor Jentezen Franklin, a 3-cord strand lifestyle.
My husband and I will be doing the fast together, and I hope to repeat next month again.
Please join me.
Lifting prayers for our sisters….
@JULIE GANUCHEAU: prayers for your dad’s surgery tomorrow, and his salvation/softening of heart.
@DEE DEE: prayers for you and your family in this tough time (KELLY NEO, her sister Carol asked for emergency prayer on the FB group yesterday, that DEE DEE got a mini stroke of some sort and was rushed to hospital yesterday, and her husband is having cancer treatment as well), may we pray for them both and the family.
@JULIA C: where are you sis?❤️
Be blessed dear sisters.❤️
@KRIS, thank you for that clarification on “regret.” What a poignant thought of the God of the Universe sighing at what He had made. As a mom, I sigh often for many reasons, one of them being frustration at the choices and behavior of my kids. This makes so much sense to my mama heart and I am humbled that often cause God to “sigh” for the same reasons.
May we strive to honor the heart of God and only inspire sighs of joy at His children leaning into Him and striving for holiness.
Addressing the verse about God regretting He made man, I found this article from “Got Questions”: In considering what the Bible says about regrets, we should start with the fact that in a couple of places we are told that God “regretted” an action He took. The Hebrew root for the word “regret” actually means “to sigh.” Since we know God does not make mistakes, the concept of sighing is a more descriptive term for the kind of regret God experiences. Genesis 6:7 says that, after seeing the wickedness on the earth, God regretted making man. This does not mean that the Lord felt that He made a mistake in creating human beings, but that His heart was sorrowful as He witnessed the direction they were going. Since God knows everything beforehand, He already knew that sin would bring consequences, so He was not surprised by it (1 Peter 1:20; Ephesians 1:4; Isaiah 46:9–11). Instead, this glimpse into God’s character shows us that, even though He already knows we will sin, it still grieves Him when we choose it (Ephesians 4:30).
Morning she’s, what a pressing chapter we have today. So many things stood out to me today, some from different chapters as well, by the reminders of the Holy Spirit.
1.Be ready at the unexpected hour. The Son of Man is coming at the hour we do not expect.
2.Grace during tribulations: the days will be cut short for the sake of the elect (God’s people)
3.The final sign preceding the Lord’s coming: earth will be dark (no sun, no moon, no stars, thus no heat, no light, no warmth, no plants can grow, coldness, etc.) –then Jesus will appear in the clouds. The elect will then be gathered by the angels at the trumpet call. Notice the elect will be in the tribulations as well, through different stages of birth pains, and till the end. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed into a gloried body (1 Corinthians 1:15:52). Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
4.How to be a faithful and wise servant? Not to be frozen with fear and hide away, BUT to continue to oversee and give food to the household (household of God) during long delay. Delay of the Lord’s coming is prophesied, we need to exercise patience in waiting, and in our enduring of waiting, continue to serve and feed the household of God with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15).
5. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36 KJV)
6. Don’t engage in drunkenness, sexuality immorality and sensuality, in sinful things. Faith without works is dead. Dead faith does not act on God’s commandments (dead faith hears and not do, it looks in the mirror of Scriptures and immediately forgets). Alive faith is evidenced by the good works. Just like an alive person has pulse. You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror (James 2:19).
My prayer for today (and everyday) is that I (we)… “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify it’s desires” Romans 13:12-14 I pray this because if I’m honest everyday I try to gratify myself (even if it’s an act of service- I’m a Pharisee doing it because it’s what the law says, not because I truly want to). Thank you Lord for this study and these She’s! ☮️❤️
Beautiful devotion today! Come Lord Jesus, come!
“Eyes up, feet on the earth. Come Lord Jesus
If you all could be praying for my sister, two brother in laws and my best friend to come to know/come back to Jesus I would so appreciate it!! Watching them live without hope, especially in light of today’s devotional is breaking my heart.
Hallelujah, come quickly Lord Jesus!
I pray that we would be about His business, ready and awake! I want to be that wise and faithful servant, not swayed or lead astray!
That has always been my thought too, TRACI GENDRON… I am always so saddened by the fact that God regretted making mankind. But He also gave us Jesus to save us, sweet She’s, and He is coming again. Let us be ready and tell those that are lost, as well.
“Come, Jesus, Come”… I love that song.
We don’t know when it will be, and my husband always says it’s not “bad enough” yet. I don’t know that I agree with that statement. But I’ve mentioned before that I am more of a glass-half-full person, and he is not. We can look at the same circumstances very differently.
A pastor I know often says, in reference to His second coming, “Perhaps today.”
Amen! ❤️
When I was growing up I often heard the phrase “ what if Jesus came back and found you in the movie theatre, the dance, the bar etc etc.”. This was meant as a deterrent to go to these places but all it did was install a fear in me off His coming. This developed into an anxiety around current events and an avoidance of the topic completely. As I grew as a Christian I have felt such guilt over feeling this way, not looking forward to Jesus return. In fact I was tempted to overlook this devotional today. The enemy has held this over my head my whole life, even though I know longer fear being found in these places. Those fearful thoughts go deep. I have been praying for God to give me a new picture of Jesus return, to give me a heart that eagerly anticipates His return. He is doing a new thing in me, praise God.
I believe this is where a lot of my anxiety comes from.
I read this is another devotional I’ve been working through:
MY GREAT UNEARTHING IS THE DEVIL’S UNDOING
God uproots the weeds so He can
plant new seeds
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING IN ME!
I WILL SEE HIS GOODNESS IN
the land of the living
(From Fully Alive by Susie Larson)
I fully inderstand this. I was told similar things, such as “Would you watch this if Jesus were sitting next to you” or would you be here if Jesus were here. And while it did protect me from situation, and did give me a way to discern between godly and worldly things, it also robbed me of joy and filled me with guilt and so much fear and anxiety for accidental mistakes or not being good enough. And thank God, he found me there. And while I know I am not good enough, there is now so much joy amd freedom in that. I am weak and He is strong. And I am allowed to enjoy things and take Him with me there. God rejoices in our joy and that is also beautiful ❤️
Something I try to tell myself “there is no good in me.” The ONLY good in me is because of my Jesus! JESUS gets ALL the glory. And then I mess up. And I start to feel like I’m not being a “good example” and here I am reminded how dearly loved I am by OUR JESUS and though we should always strive to grow and set a good example I am reminded I am flawed. I am a sinner saved by GRACE! Thank you Jesus!
❤
“For I regret that I made them.” What a sad sad statement. But yet I understand why God would feel this way. We make a muck of everything. Let us “put on the armor of light”! Put our focus on our Lord. Walk in decency. Eyes up on only Him. I want to be Your faithful servant.
We try to stay up on current events around the World at our house. My husband and I talk about what is happening in the World a lot and we follow it as closely as we can. Some of that comes from being former missionaries and having friends who live overseas. As I was reading these scriptures this morning, I kept recognizing glimpses of current events. The end of times may be way down the road, but make no mistake, it is coming. Every generation sees glimpses of these things, but is it getting worse? Perhaps? The verse that really comforted me from this reading today was verse 14: “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” God will hold off the end of times until all the world has heard the Gospel! How kind, how caring, how redemptive! I am certain that the state of the World, no matter what century we are talking about, grieved God. But He is waiting until ALL have heard the Gospel. I am so grateful to know a God who cares so much for His people!
Excellent devotional today. Hit me right where I needed to be reminded! ❤️
Thank you @Maria Baer for your comment. I feel like for myself and many others when we read Scriptures like this, it can be easy to get caught in the anxiety of “am I good enough? Am I doing enough? Will I be ready when Jesus returns? Will He accept me?” but the answer is simple. As long as we believe in Jesus’s salvation then the answer to all the above questions is YES. He loved us enough to die for us before we were even born. He WILL accept us at the end of times simply for our acceptance of His salvation. Thank you Jesus for the gift we did not and do not deserve. <3
I appreciate all I have learned about Scripture in SRT because I find comfort in readings about the coming of Jesus and Revelation—- I think we, and especially theologians, get so wrapped up in the signs and what will happen, that we miss THE point of it all: if we truly love Jesus, then we should not be worried because we will always be ready for His return. It is that simple. Lord, I come to you a flawed and broken human, thankful for your love and generous grace. May we continue to grow in our faith so we can be ready for your return, Lord.
Maria – great insight! Thank you for sharing!
Good morning! My Dad, Bill, is going into surgery tomorrow for an esophagectomy as the last step in his cancer treatment. He’s 84 and in good health otherwise. Would really appreciate prayers for him and his surgical team. Also for his salvation – he was instrumental in my faith development when I was young but he has fallen into new age spiritual thinking in his later years. Praying his heart is reopened to Jesus. Thank you all! ❤️
@Julie Ganucheau Praying for your dad and for your family! Praying healing over his physical body and that Jesus would draw him back to Himself!
During my time as a teacher, I made it a point to reward students for CBG – Caught Being Good. Today’s devotion is a great reminder to me in my life now. May I keep this thought as a guide for my life.
Hallelujah King Jesus!
Heavy Scripture day … woe to those who don’t know the Lord, to those who are not prepared to meet Him. Praying, praying, praying for the lost in my life, your lives and throughout the world.
Loved the devo -“If you’re going to get caught doing something, let it be something good.”
And I am reminded of the 5 virgins who kept their lamps filled and their wicks trimmed – may we all be ready.
Matthew 24:4 take heed that no one deceives you. Praying for wisdom and discernment when we are bombarded with the lies of today.
Praying for those affected by the Baltimore tragedy, especially the families of the lost.
Yesterday’s comments – amen and amen! MARIA BAER, LAURA DIANNE, TINA, TRACI GENDRON, TRICIA C, KELLY (NEO), SHARON JERSEY GIRL and others.
MICHELLE PATIRE ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️ hypocrisy in churches – how many times has someone thrown that in our faces? Lord, may we be more aware … and get caught doing something good. Praying for full recovery of your family member.
MARI V praying for the right solution for H
TAYLOR – praying for wisdom and guidance in the hard thing you are facing
Thank you for the wise advice. I want to be caught doing something good too! I’m so ready and excited to meet Jesus.
“This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Jesus does not give this is a formula, but it shows His heart about the priorities of what must happen before His return.
KIM BUTTONBERRY and DEE DEE – how are your husbands doing?
Praying for your other requests too
Hallelujah Amen