Daily Devotional for Wednesday, November 1

The Parable of the Alert Servants

“For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch,” Mark 13:34-37.

The great preacher F. B. Meyer once asked D. L. Moody, “What is the secret of your success?” Moody replied, “For many years I have never given an address without the consciousness that the Lord may come before I have finished.”

When Jesus left this earth, He gave us His final commands to preach the gospel throughout the world and to baptize and disciple believers. He left us these instructions and promised that He would return to rule in righteousness and justice forever. Yet it seems that Christians and unbelievers alike are living as if there will be no reckoning.

The promised return of Christ should bring both joy and urgency to the heart of Christians. Joy because we are promised a future in Heaven where there is no sin or sorrow or suffering. Urgency because He could return any day and we must preach the gospel to the world before it is too late.

Christians cannot live in apathy considering these truths. We must joyfully and faithfully proclaim the gospel to an unbelieving world. Time is short and we must be found faithful to Christ’s commands to evangelize and disciple the world. We must urgently obey His commands as if He may return today.

FINAL THOUGHT: The return of Christ is sure, though the timing of His return is unknown to us. We must live with hopeful expectation that Christ may return today.

Steven Ridings