• New Testament Reading: Matthew 24:42-25:46
• Old Testament Passage: Proverbs 6:6-11
• Points to Ponder

“Therefore Keep Watch”

Judgments in time and the judgment at the end of time have something in common -- they come
suddenly upon those who are not vigilant! Even though God, through his prophets and apostles,
gives us warnings, we so easily allow ourselves to be lulled in a sense of false security. We tend to
procrastinate when it comes to preparing ourselves for the day of the Lord. Instead of focusing our
energy on issues of eternal significance we focus on issues of temporal significance, convincing
ourselves that we will “get around to it”.

Keeping watch is not about sitting high atop a mountain waiting for the Lord Jesus to appear in the
sky. Keeping watch is about focusing our lives here on what God wants us to do so that when Jesus
returns he will find us doing just that. No one will have any warning and therefore will have no time
to get busy just before Jesus returns. We will each be found doing what we have decided is really
most important to us. To those for whom the most important thing in life is doing God’s will, Jesus
will say upon his return, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” To those for whom the things of
this world are more important, Jesus will say, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal
fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

• Questions to Consider: Which are you: the hard working, prepared, productive,
compassionate servant or the sin loving, procrastinating, lazy and self-centered servant? If you
were to live each day with an awareness that Jesus could indeed return today, how would it
change your life?