Fresh Start Daily

This morning, while I was exercising in QC Circle, I saw people going about their own stuff. Some were jogging, dancing (zumba), biking, walking, dog-walking, talking, taking pictures, eating, I remembered the chapter I am currently reading for my devotion: Matthew chapter 24.

In this chapter, Jesus described the things that will happen when He comes again. It says in God’s Word that people will be like those in the days of Noah. Before the flood came, people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (v. 38)”. It simply means that people were doing the things they usually do. Noah preached to them and warned them about the flood that would come but they didn’t listen. They mocked him, laughed at him, and went about their own activities.

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” vv. 37-39

When Jesus returns, people will also be “business as usual”. Like this morning. People were busy doing their own stuff. It’s not wrong to continue with the things we normally do (that do not displease God). However, if we get so caught up in the things of the world that we don’t have time anymore to have fellowship with God or to even think about Him, that’s when it’s dangerous.

Jesus’ second coming will be a surprise for us all. Even Jesus Himself does not know. Only God the Father knows when it will be.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” v. 36

It also says in God’s Word that we have to be watchful. We have to be ready because Jesus will return in the midst of our busyness.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” vv. 42-44

We should be ready every day, every minute. We should always repent and pray.

“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming…'” v. 48

I believe that we are already seeing the signs that Jesus mentioned. God is really just being gracious to us because He doesn’t want any of us to perish. He is still giving us a chance to come to Him.

“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” v. 46

“Jesus also promised that we will be rewarded for our diligence. The servants serve the master, but the master knows how to take care of and reward the servants.” enduringword.com

To those who remain faithful while waiting, we must take refuge in the fact that God sees our sacrifices and He will not allow us to wait for nothing. We might think that our toil is useless because we see the wicked prosper. However, we should not lose heart. There is a reward for God’s children in heaven.

If His saints have rewards, those who disregard Him and His work will also receive a reward. They will receive what they deserve. The wicked servant in the story didn’t care about God. He just gave in to the desires of his flesh. God is just and his behavior has a corresponding consequence.

“…and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of the servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” vv. 49-51

Jesus will come again not as a Savior but as a judge. He will come to meet His saints in the clouds and to judge those who chose not to believe in Him.

It doesn’t mean that we will stop living our life and do nothing but pray. It’s just a reminder for us to be constantly on guard. Whatever we do should be glorifying to God. We have to keep our sweet, intimate communion with Him. We have to continue serving while we wait.

We should FIGHT FOR OUR TIME with God. Despite our busy schedule, we have to MAKE TIME for God. We have to force ourselves to set aside time to pray, to read God’s Word, to just have a fellowship with Him.

Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t even have time to be emotional. However, when I am prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray, I stop what I’m doing and I pray. It’s not always a long prayer. Often, it’s just a short one. As long as our prayer is from the heart, it’s enough. God sees the intention behind our words.

When the Holy Spirit convicts us to do something like pray or read the Bible, we have to obey. Nothing is more important than speaking with our Creator and Savior. When He tells us to pray, He will help us finish what we set aside to spend time with Him because He cares about us and the things that we care about.

I read a quote that goes, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.”

There’s usually a lot of people in the park in the morning but there were more today because of the kids’ field trip. I was led to pray for everyone there. Usually, I pray for the people that are there but sometimes I forget. I was also reminded to pray for the park-goers all the time. May we not be apathetic to the Lord. May we be found by the Lord faithful and prepared when He returns.

“Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” — Charles Spurgeon

Devo: Matthew 23:37-39

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 

39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Jesus rebuked His people, the Jews in Jerusalem, because He wanted to protect them. He rebuked them out of His great love for them.

“This heartfelt cry is another way to see that Jesus didn’t hate these men He rebuked so strongly. His heart broke for them. When we sin, God does not hate us; He genuinely sorrows for us, knowing that in every way our sin and rebellion only destroys our life. We should hope to share God’s sorrow for lost humanity.” enduringword.com

May I repeat what was mentioned on enduringword.com? “When we sin, God does not hate us.” Wow. When our heart breaks over our sin, God’s heart breaks first and breaks the hardest. He doesn’t want us to get hurt by the consequences of our sin. He wants to protect us from it. He loves us so much that He grieves over our sins. However, God is just and they have to give an account for their choices on Judgment Day.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:19

God rebukes and disciplines us because He loves us. Disobeying God will lead us into eternal damnation and God wants to spare us from that. If He doesn’t care about us, He will just let us do whatever we want.

“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” v. 37

Jesus wanted to protect them like a hen protects her chicks. However, they refused to receive that from the Lord. Isn’t it similar to many people in the world? God has been offering us His protection, His love, His salvation, but we just refuse Him. God is gentle and He will not force Himself to us (Matthew 11:29).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

He stands at the door of our hearts, knocks, and waits patiently for us. He does not force the door to open so He can reign inside our heart. He gave us free will so the decision to accept Him or not depends on us.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” John 1:12

We will become children of God when we receive Him and believe in Him.

Devo: Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:16 is similar to Matthew 19:30.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:30

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” v. 16

These are countercultural. Normally, whoever is first will be first and whoever is last will be last. However, these verses refer to God’s grace; not what people deserve. The workers in the vineyard complained about their salary because they saw that those who worked for only an hour received the same amount they received even when they worked the entire day under the sun. For them, the landowner was not fair and that they should’ve received more. The landowner was not unfair to them because he gave them what they agreed on.

“Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” v. 2

It is the laborers that he hired later in the day that he had no agreement with as to their salary.

“He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'” v. 7

The landowner was not unfair to them. He gave them what he told them he would give. The laborers just felt that they deserved more because they worked longer and harder.

However, the salary of those who worked later in the day was a surprise. Again, he was not unfair by giving them the same amount he gave the others. It’s his discretion as to how much he would give.

“I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” vv. 14-15

This was a bit obscure to me at first but reading a commentary about it helped. This story talks about God’s grace. God will give us reward according to His goodness and mercy and not according to what we deserve.

“Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment… it may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.” Barclay, enduringword.com

“The point isn’t that all have the same reward – though all God’s people do go to the same heaven (where they will have reward in different measure). The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. God’s grace always operates righteously.” enduringword.com

There will be rewards in heaven. We don’t know what kind of rewards believers of God will receive. Only God knows. It will be a surprise for us. We cannot judge what reward each of us believers will receive. We may be embarrassed to know someday that the people we thought would receive less would actually be commended highly by God. We may receive more than what we deserve, less than what we deserve, or just what we think we deserve.

It’s true that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). His rewards are completely up to Him and we can’t question that. God is sovereign. He sees the intentions of the heart. My prayer is that God will keep my intentions pure.

When I first became a believer, I didn’t know that there will be rewards in heaven. I was just happy to know God in a personal way. I was content with the fact that I know God and that He knows me. I was content knowing that the God who created the heaven and the earth loves me. What could be more satisfying than that? Then I learned about rewards and I was astounded!

Do we really want to receive what we deserve? We deserve nothing! We deserve the wrath of God. We are saved not because of our goodness but because of God’s goodness. Our salvation is His gift to us. We have no contribution to it except for the acceptance of that gift.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

As for me, I don’t want to receive what I deserve. What I want is God’s grace and mercy.

“My last word to God’s children is this: what does it matter, after all, whether we are first or whether we are last? Do not let us dwell too much upon it, for we all share the honor given to each. When we are converted, we become members of Christ’s living body; and as we grow in grace, and get the true spirit that permeates that body, we shall say, when any member of it is honored, ‘This is honor for us’…If any brother shall be greatly honored of God, I feel honored in his honor. If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you — not only blessing him, but you. If my hand has something in it, my foot does not say, ‘Oh, I have not got it!’ No, for if my hand has it, my foot has it; it belongs to the whole of my body.” Spurgeon, enduringword.com

I like what Charles Spurgeon said. We should not focus on the reward. Instead, we should focus on our relationship with God first and foremost. The reward is a bonus. 🙂