Matthew 24:36-51

Matthew 24:36-51 (New International Version

 ³⁶"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

 ⁴²"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

 ⁴⁵"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Devotional (by Jana Goebel)

I am a scheduler.  I like to make a list of what needs to happen when.  Even though my plans often don’t go according to plan, just knowing that I have tried to keep everything under control makes me happy.  When I read this passage in Matthew, the control freak, scheduler in me gets a little anxious.  I want to know the exact hour and day the Jesus will return.  I want to be ready!  But Jesus says, we should be ready at all times because only God knows the hour and the day of His returning.   Instead of being like the people in Noah’s day, unprepared for the impending flood, we need to be like homeowners in today’s world.  Have your insurance plan purchased and up to date.  Well, how do I do that?   As I asked that question, I thought of  Proverbs 3: 5-6 which says:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”  That’s my prayer today.  That I will trust God in all things.  That I won’t try to take control of what only he can control.  And that I will seek him and give him praise in all things so that I can walk a straight path and be ready. 

Prayer:   Father, thank you for being in control and always knowing what the plan is.  Help me to trust you and praise you at all times so that I can be ready for the wonderful day of your return.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.