TodayThis Year
From the Gospels

Luke 17:20-37

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Reflection

In some sense, the kingdom of God has already arrived in Jesus and is now discreetly producing the transformed hearts and lives of Christ’s people through the gospel (Luke 17:20–21; cf. 13:18–20). In another sense, the kingdom’s presence will one day arrive in the unmistakable and public return of Jesus Christ (17:24). As that day approaches, many people will live unaware and unconcerned about the King whose rule will conquer and devour all those who have not prepared for his return (vv. 26–30). Those who insist on living as though this world and its pleasures are ultimate will find that they will lose their lives when Christ comes. Those who know that this world will not provide ultimate satisfaction, and are therefore willing to sacrifice their sinful pleasures for the sake of Christ and his kingdom, will keep their lives when Christ returns (v. 33).

Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can change and fuel our desires so that our longing to be with Jesus will outweigh our love for this world. We must feed ourselves regularly with the goodness of his grace in order to build our appetite for Christ and smother our thirst for sin.

From the Epistles

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Reflection

Paul gives the Thessalonians a word of encouragement and a prayer of blessing before concluding with his final instructions in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5. In light of the imminent return of Christ, Paul’s desire is that the Thessalonians remain steadfast in Christ, growing in love for one another and for all (1 Thess. 3:12). The beauty of the gospel promise is that the Lord is the One ultimately responsible for changing our hearts (v. 13). Our entire salvation is by grace from beginning to end.

From the Psalms

Psalm 63:1-4

63: O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

Thoughts For Prayer

The key to living the Christian life is the genuine transformation of our desires so that God is our ultimate Treasure. Keep praying for your heart and the hearts of others who need to grow in their love for Christ.

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