“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time?” (Matthew 24:45)

We all are stewards.  Everything belongs to God.  We will leave our things all behind when we leave.  What then?  We are stewards.  We are slaves to something.  What do you do as a steward?  The best you can for the master.  Who is your master?  You cannot serve two masters.  You will not be your own master.  The Lord has provided.  What will you do with what He has provided?

Lord, this world tells me I am my own person.  This world lies.  I defy the lie with all the things I am obligated to do.  If I were truly free, I could literally do whatever I feel like doing.  But I cannot.  Help me to live the life of stewardship that You have given me.  Guide me in the upward call of faith so that I look to You and spend my life preparing for what You have in store for me.  Teach me how to be a steward.

Lord Jesus, I have been put in charge of many things.  You have led me thus far in the faith You have given me.  I am also filled with the pollution of this age.  Guide me Lord in the upward call that You have given me so that I become a good steward of the mysteries of faith which You have revealed to me.  Help me to do what You give me to do each day and not shirk the responsibility of being Your steward.  Amen.

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matthew 24:43-44).

If we think selfishly, we will miss the point.  Scripture says it elsewhere when it says, “Be ready to give an account of the hope that is within you.”  Today may be the day you meet the Lord.  Are you ready?  Always be ready.  He will not judge you on what you do not know, or what you have not done, but upon what opportunities you have taken to know Him and what you have done with what He has given you.

The thief is the wicked one who will attempt to steal the hope that is within you.  We live in a world filled with wickedness that wraps itself in false light.  See the wickedness that will try to steal the faith you have been given.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you through the traps of this world.  Always live preparing yourself for the promise which is the basis for the hope we have been given.  Live preparing to meet Lord Jesus face to face.

Jesus, You know how often I live in the moment.  I am tossed about by waves of thought filled with untruths that swirl all around me.  Your word is truth.  Help me to keep Your word as the anchor that holds me in the place of truth.  From there, guide me to live in the truth of the revelation You have given me.  Let me be ready on any given day to give an account, whether to others or to You.  Amen.

“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).

The only day that we have ever been given to live through is today.  Tomorrow will have its own issues.  Do not be like some who become anxious thinking the end is here.  It will come for us all like a thief in the night when we have our turn to sleep in death before the great and terrible day.  Live each day expectantly, for the Lord is with us always.  When it is time, the end of the age will come for us all.  Live then, today, for the Lord of life will come someday.

Lord, all things are in Your hands.  You Who wonderfully knit me in my mother’s womb have called me to journey with You by faith.  In that call, You have guided me according to the word which You have spoken.  Lead me now and always in the truth of the faith which has been delivered by You once for all.  You are the Good News of salvation.  Lead me ever deeper into this salvation which You have given.

Lord Jesus, You are the way, truth, and life.  Through You alone is there hope and an eternal future.  Guide me beyond the pitfalls of this life to learn how to live faithfully.  Lead me in the way which You have spoken so that I may live this life You have given me, being always ready for Your return.  You know the plans the Father has for me.  Guide me so that I live according to His eternal plan.  Amen.

“At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left” (Matthew 24:40-41).

In a way, there has been a sifting that has gone on since the beginning.  In our lives, one looks to Jesus as Lord of all, and the other does not.  We do not know the hearts of others.  Truthfully, we barely know our own heart.  Do not be led by the ways of the world, but by the word of the Lord.  Do not focus upon which one you may be; simply live your life with the Lord and be His.

Lord, I sometimes wonder if, in given these warnings, You are trying to get us to not dwell on them but simply trust that all things are in Your hands.  If so, then guide us in the way of moving beyond our prideful selves to humbly live the life You have given us to live.  Teach us how to love You and others as You do us.  Guide us to see things truthfully so that we may see the world as it is.

Holy Spirit, You know my heart.  Sift me and guide me through those places where I do not live faithfully.  Help me to know that in You alone is all hope.  Help me this day to not look at others and wonder who will be saved but to look at others and see that they too are beloved by You.  Help me to live out the call You have given me and guide me in the way of this life in which I have been redeemed. Amen.

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:38-39).

When sin abounds, those who live for themselves do not understand when judgement falls upon them.  It is not that God is constantly judging this world, for it has already been judged; but the end will come upon everyone and those who have ignored the truth will be caught off-guard.  The real warning for us is to pay attention to the Lord, listen, and follow His way, for He has shown us the way of eternity.

Lord, every age seems to be filled with those who carry on as if only their individual lives matter.  People carouse, party, and live care-free lives that do not care for You or for others.  Help me to look to You above all things.  Guide me in the way You would have me go.  There are so many things around me that tug at me.  Keep me holding the course of faith and learning from You how to navigate through this world filled with woe.

Lord Jesus, not only do I need the justification You give which saves me from eternal death, I need Your sactification to make the journey that is before me.  You know the end and are the way of truth.  Help me to follow You in all Your ways.  Guide me now and always to follow the right way You have shown.  Lead me in the upward call of looking to You alone, the One who saves, as my source and sustenance.  Amen.

“But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:36-37).

The end will come when it comes.  Do not live each day as if it were the end of the age, but as if it were perhaps the last day you have here.  There is a difference.  Some become so caught up in thinking they know what Jesus did not know.  Some place their hope on being lifted out of this mess; through death, we all will be.  There will be tribulations in this life.  Do daily what the Lord gives you to do.

Lord, my pride gets the better of me and I want to be someone special with inside information.  But that is not true faith.  I need to learn to humbly trust You above all things.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy so that I live into the life You offer me through faith.  The world seems to increase its insanity, but maybe it is just maturity of faith that helps me to see the way things always have been.

Lord Jesus, regardless what I do or do not know, help me to live into the life of faith that You have given me.  Teach me to live each day in the hope You give.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly accomplish each task You give me.  Guide me so that I humbly follow through and be found faithful.  Our times are in the Father’s hands.  Help me to be content in being with You.  Amen.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Ideas sprout up and people believe all kinds of things.  Propaganda comes and people believe lies.  Many hate God, and false words are spread and believed.  It has been this way from the beginning.  The world hates God.  But creation was spoken into existence.  You have been given the gift of new life, and the Incarnate Word invites you to enter into eternal life with Him.  Everything behind you will melt away, but Jesus will be in front of you, showing the way.

Lord, I am unable to imagine existence outside of the physical existence I know. But You speak words of truth.  Help me to understand more fully the hope that You give me, which is in You alone.  Guide me out of all the false information that surrounds me so that I may truly experience what Peter said, “You have the words of eternal life.”  There is no other place you want to go.  Lead me into Your word of truth.

Lord Jesus, You are the word made flesh.  In You alone is hope and a good future.  No matter what this or any day brings, help me to live into the life You have given me and are offering me through faith.  Help me to understand that I need You to lead me beyond all the snares of false words that are all around me.  Guide me, Lord, so that I may humbly follow You into eternity.  Amen.

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.  Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:32-33).

Each generation faces the tribulations of the wickedness that is in the world.  The Lord has told us what to look for.  See the signs.  Sadly, many do not look for the signs and then wonder when things come and how they happen.  Do not be misled.  The Lord has told us before they come to pass that we might believe all that He tells us.  You know the signs of the world.  Learn the signs of the Lord.

Heavenly Father, You have told us how creation came to be.  You have sent prophets to warn us.  Your created order reveals to us the signs of the seasons.  Your only begotten Son has spoken words of warning to us.  Help me to heed the signs that You show.  Help me to hear the words that have been spoken.  In all things, help me to look to You.  Guide me so that I see what You are showing me.

Lord Jesus, You are the light that is shining in the darkness.  Lead me into the light of Your presence so that I may see clearly.  I may not know what tomorrow will bring, but I know that You will be there.  I may not know what the twists and turns of this life have in store for me, but I know You will lead me.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly walk the way You know I need to walk to remain faithful.  Amen.

“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31).

That day will come when it comes.  Meanwhile, what are we to do with today.  This is the day that you have been given.  Live each day without desiring anything more than what the Lord gives you.  Do not be caught up by the anxieties of this age.  These words are easy to say, but this is a difficult enough struggle for each one of us.  Be led by the One who has called you into faith and saves you.

Lord, I want to be one of the special ones and know when these things will come to pass.  As you instructed Paul, so instruct me so that if I am to boast, it will be in You, for by my weakness, I have become strong in You.  Take me away from the constant propaganda of this age to listen to Your word of truth.  In You, the source of all life, I can learn how to live life.  Guide me into the life You offer me this day.

Lead me, Lord Jesus, and let me know full well that the final day will come.  Whether in one or ten thousand years, You know.  All I have is this day which You have given me.  Help me to live in this day which You have given me and do the things You give me to do.  Lead me according to Your word to hold fast to the truth which You have revealed so that I may learn more about what it means to be faithful to this calling You have given me.  Amen.

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

What is coming?  Because Jesus is speaking of the end, are we able to even comprehend what He is saying?  Too much thought has gone into what may come.  Do not live for what may be but live in the moment the Lord has given you.  Anything beyond this tempts us to the place where our pride takes over.  Each one of us knows only what we know; the Lord knows everything.  Learn to trust that He will lead you in the way you need to go.

Lord, so-called knowledge of these things is filled with speculation.  We hear something that seems logical, and we follow after it, sometimes to the detriment of trusting You.  Help me to hold to the first truth, and that is to trust You above all things, especially when I think about what the future holds.  Guide me into all goodness and mercy so that I humbly live the life You have given me.

Lord Jesus, You give us these warnings so that we are not led astray by things that tickle our ears.  Help me to learn how to listen to You clearly and live this day which You have given me.  Guide me in the steps I need to take to live the life You have given me.  Keep me undistracted by the latest speculations which come along.  Lead me by Your goodness so that I may learn how to be faithful.  Amen.