(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)
Worship
By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.
Thanksgiving
Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)
Scripture Reading
Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!
Scripture Reading: Matthew Ch. 24 (ESV)
Meditation
Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.
Devotional
Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)
(vv. 1-44) As Jesus and his disciples were leaving the temple, the disciples pointed to the grand temple building and showed it to Jesus, and yet were told by Jesus that this temple would be thrown down completely in the future! As they arrived at the Mount of Olives, his disciples asked Jesus a question: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v.3) Jesus answered: many will come in his name and deceive people; there will be rumors of wars; nation will rise against nation; kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. Such things must happen and these are just the beginning of birth pains. But the end is still to come.
From Jesus’ answer, the principles that we should grasp for the sign of his coming and the end of the age are:
- Many will come in Jesus’ name, saying, ‘I am the Christ”. Jesus told us not to believe them.
- There will be wars, famines, and earthquakes. Jesus told us not to be alarmed.
- His disciples will be hated by all nations for Jesus’s sake. Jesus told us to stand firm.
- There is no need to predict or spread the rumors for the day of his coming. Jesus said: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (v.36). Jesus told us to stay awake and be prepared. “…for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (v42)
As we read the scriptures of this chapter, it is easy to think of the many disasters we face today, which can be painful and sad to us. There will be people persecuted or tempted to turn away from the truth. How can we stand firm as Jesus said? In the Gospel of John Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28) “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)
The Word of God shows us that believers have the promise of eternal life, and that those who obey God’s commands will receive the Lord’s love and redemption. With this hope, we learn to use the Lord’s Word to fight against all false truth in the world. And we live up to truth of God, to abide by it, and to bear witness to Jesus in this dark generation, for Jesus also said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (v.14）
(vv. 45-51) At the end of chapter 24, we see that the types of servants ultimately sought by the Lord will be those who are faithful and wise. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” (vv.45-46) In contrast to the faithful and wise servants, the Lord also talked about a wicked servant. In the end, this wicked servant was assigned to the same place with the hypocrites. We will learn more about this with tomorrow’s scripture reading.
Pray
Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)