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BE BUSY TILL CHRIST RETURNS
MONDAY, AUGUST 25
Luke 19:11-28

John 11:55-57

 

“…Occupy till I come.”

 

BE BUSY TILL CHRIST RETURNS
 
As Jesus neared Jerusalem, the people thought that His regal reign on earth would soon be inaugurated. Jesus had to correct this thinking by means of a parable. In His parable of the pounds, Jesus intimated that His physical reign on earth would not be in the immediate but distant future. Like a certain nobleman who “went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return,” Jesus would be departing to heaven for a season to receive His kingdom before coming back to earth again. The period between His departure and His return would be a time of work for His servants. To all Christians, Jesus commands, “Occupy till I come.”
 
To the work! To the work! In the strength of the Lord, 
And a robe and a crown shall our labour reward
When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be
And we shout with the ransomed, “Salvation is free!”
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on;
Let us hope,
Let us watch
And labor till the Master comes.
 
The Church right now, however, consists of true and false believers. All will have to report to Jesus when He returns. The Lord will reward true believers who have faithfully served Him with cities to rule over. False believers, like the wicked servant who hated the Lord and did nothing with his pound, will be judged and punished. Faithlessness and fruitlessness are signs of false belief. As James has said, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). On that day, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the good fishes from the bad (Matt 13:24-30, 47-50, 25:32-33).
 
THOUGHT: What can I do for the Lord while waiting for the day of Christ’s return?
PRAYER: Father, may I not be lazy but quick to do Thy work while there is yet time.

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