Watchfulness prepares the Lord to return
Pastor Jiang
Translated by Leo Liu
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Mark 13:28-31 There is an idiom in China that says "Heaven and Earth will last for a long time." People will think that heaven and earth endure the longest. They will only see generations come and go, and never see heaven and earth come and go. But today's scripture reminds us that in the future, heaven and earth will be abolished, but the powerful words of the Lord who created heaven and earth will not be abolished (Mark 13:31). There is nothing that is unachievable from the Lord (Isa 46:10). Brothers and sisters, modern society attaches great importance to vision goals and planning steps. As large as organizations or alliances in which many countries participate, as small as a company, a family or an individual, people set goals and make plans. We are used to taking our own plans and goals as the direction, motivation and hope of life. We basically agree with the thinking pattern of "how to decide what is tomorrow and what will be in the future". But in today's scriptures, the Lord Jesus wants us to pay attention to God's plan and will first, which is essential for you! In fact, you are called out of the world because of this God's plan and God's will to become disciples of the Lord. Your life is closely related to this, and your life's meaning and value are also closely related to this. You see, when Jesus knew that he was going to follow the date of the Father and fulfill the plan of salvation that was set up before the creation of the world on the cross, Jesus told his disciples what he had to accomplish in the future, first mentioning that he would pay To the chief priests, scribes and elders, and was killed, resurrected three days later, and now tells the disciples the harbinger of the last days, that is, so that the disciples can have heavenly hope. This hope can not only give the disciples at that time the strength and comfort in the harshest environment that will come, including the day when the Lord’s own being sold, beaten and killed, and resurrected, but also for our later life. The disciples in the various battles of the last days received strength and comfort. Jesus again used the fig tree as an analogy. When the fig tree leaves grow, people know that summer is coming. In this way, when the disciples saw the signs listed in the verses of Mark 13:5-23, they could know that the second coming of the Son of Man was very near and was at the door. Those who live in this generation will surely see the words of the Lord Jesus fully accomplished! God is faithful and powerful, and His will has no power to resist. In this way, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus clearly wants us, the disciples called by Him, to change our mindset. To understand God's plan and intentions to live with the wisdom given from God, let us first think about what the future will be so that we can decide what to do today or tomorrow. The wise virgins, because they know and think about the moment when the bridegroom is coming, prepare the oil now, watch and wait. The stupid virgin, knowing that the bridegroom was coming but not preparing, took the opportunity to take a nap, and finally passed the bridegroom Jesus, unable to remedy. We don’t know when the second meeting of the Lord will come. When the Bible says that we did not expect it, the Lord will come. "Because you know that the Lord's day comes like a thief at night" (1 Thess 5:2). "Whatever the days of Noah, so will the Son of Man come. When the days before the flood, people will eat, drink, and marry as usual...and the Son of Man will come like this" (Matthew 24:37-39); "If you are not watchful, I will He came to you like a thief; when I came, you must never know" (Revelation 3:3). Please let us think and pray, how to prepare one of our watchful hearts for the coming of the Lord Jesus in this generation...?