Daily Devotional for Monday, April 29

Be Watchful and Helpful

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night,” 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2.

At the height of World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. Yet he continued to urge fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians, believing that Hitler was the antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.”

Bonhoeffer replied, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished.”

Every child of God should have a healthy longing for the return of Christ. The Scriptures’ promise of His return should stir both joy and urgency in the heart of every follower of Christ. However, some see His return only as a rescue from this world and sink into an apathetic, defeated pause. After all, if Christ should return soon, could we not just rest until then?

Luke 19:13 states, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” This command is not an order to rest until He comes. No, it is a command to labor fervently until He comes so that we might be found faithful, not wanting.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY
The promise of Christ’s return gives the Christian peace yet stirs an urgency to serve Him faithfully until He comes.

Steven Ridings