Matthew 24:42-51 Stay awake and sober!
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: August 19, 2019 Matthew 24:42-51
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “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. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus was warning, not the sinners who were condemned, but the disciples who claimed to follow Him. He said that we always need to live as though He was coming at any time. He said that we need to be ready for His coming instead of wasting our lives treating others badly and being lost in the unreality of drunkenness. This points out the two attacks where Christians are vulnerable. One is treating others badly. This would include judgmental behavior and gossip. It would include selfishness and anger and hatred. This would include lack of mercy and ostracizing. The other attack is on our minds. Drunkenness is a way to retreat from the world into fantasy. There can be the chemical fantasy of drug and alcohol, but there can also be the artificial fantasy of movies and video games and books. When we bury ourselves in these stories that take us away from God, it is the same as being drunken.
Jesus said that Christians would indulge in these behaviors because they believed that He was not coming anytime soon. Thus, there is the need to always believe that His coming is right around the corner rather than in the distant future. Regardless of the actual date of Jesus’ coming, for mankind, the coming is only as far away as death. In my case, Jesus will be coming in less than 50 years. However, considering the state of the world today, less than 20 years is more likely. I don’t think this old world can handle much more pollution and people are being so hateful and hate-filled. I watch them hardening before my eyes, and I can’t believe that they accept themselves in that way. People are so full of anger and fear and harshness. It hurts to see it. Others live in a fantasy where they deny the reality of situations and believe in lies that fit their own wants and worldview.
Jesus hit the reality on the head when He said that the two ways that people would react to believing that they were not going to be held accountable was harshness towards others and sinking into a fantasy world where they don’t face reality. The horrors of this world cause people to either lash out or to deny the world they live in. Only knowing that Jesus will be coming to the rescue allows us to hold on to love while facing the reality of the world.
(Revelation of God) Jesus does not accept the horrors of this world as an excuse for not being prepared for His coming. He Himself should be our hope and joy so that we have protection against the world’s rottenness. He has given us the solution, so if we choose to be overwhelmed rather than to cling to Him, we have only ourselves to blame. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to give us a sanctuary from this world. We have a lifeboat on the troubled seas of life. If we choose to jump out of the boat and sink under the waves, we will drown.
(Prayer) I pray to cling to You. Right now, I’m going through a bad patch. I need You to help me.
(Application) “the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time”-the servant has been put in charge of giving the household food at the right time. What is the significance of this? Is this every Christian, or those in leadership? Is the food the word of God? I need to look into this more. I guess one significance is that Jesus needs to find us taking care of others when He returns rather than living selfishly.