Wednesday, January 25, 2023

In finem | Endure

"But the one who endures to the end will be saved." — Mat 24:13 (ESV) 



Are you a Christian? How much does Jesus Christ really mean to you? Is He holding a very special place in your heart? If our answer of these questions is “so-so”, somehow moderate, then we need to pay attention to Today’s passage.

Jesus is talking about the end of time and how he will return to Earth. Some signs will appear, but it is only a beginning. Long road to go. There will be deceivers, to mislead people with false Messiah (v.5). There will be wars and natural disasters (v.6-7). Then there will come the persecution of the believers of Jesus Christ - “You will be hated by all nations because of me.” (v.9).

Jesus said, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other…” (v.10). That is when a natural selection, of who the True disciple is and who’s not, takes place. Actually He has reminded us in Luke 8:13, “The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.”

We haven’t reached that end yet. Although I believe the beginning has started. Even so, our faith is tested daily through a lot of challenges – losing jobs, broken families, devastating health problems, unanswered struggling, etc. And with the increase of wickedness, the love of many people - in this case the faith towards Jesus Christ - will grow cold (v.12). The pressure of suffering kills the faith. Many will fall away. We have faith mostly when things are going well.

Let’s keep our love to Jesus Christ, no matter what. Don’t let it grow cold. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Because “the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.”  (v.13, NASB). This is the promise of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of God the Trinity. Hold on, God is bigger than what you are facing. The Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.  



Reflection on Matthew 24:1-28 by Desire Litaay
(Listen to the Podcast here)

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