“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and 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. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But 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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44 NIV
In this passage, Jesus gives us two examples to help us realize how important it is for us to be ready for His return. In the first, consider the mindset of the people living in the days of Noah. They were pursuing life as if it would last forever, focusing on satisfying their appetites and pursuing relationships, not realizing that the only relationship that really mattered was their relationship with God. They missed the urgency of the moment and it cost them dearly. If God told you that Jesus would be returning later today, how would you spend the next few hours? Would you have the same priorities for the day? Would you make any changes? Jesus said, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. You and I don’t know when He will come, but He will come. Are you ready to meet Him?
The second example is a of a man who suffers loss from a thief that breaks in at night because he wasn’t watching out for him, he didn’t expect the thief to come. In John 10:10 Jesus refers to Satan as a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Has Satan broken into your house? What is he trying to steal from you today? Jesus implies that if the man had kept watch, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. So here’s the warning: keep watch! Jesus is returning soon. Focus your mind on being ready for His return and pursue God with all your heart. Don’t let Satan break into your house at the final hour, right before Jesus returns. and rob you of your reward because your focus is like the people in Noah’s day. Don’t waste time trying to satisfy your appetites and don’t get distracted by earthly relationships. Instead, be ready. Guard your life from the thief. Pursue God with all your heart, so when He returns you will be right with Him.
Live expecting Him to return at any moment. If there’s anything in your life you would not want to be doing when He returns, then don’t do it at all. If there is a relationship you are pursuing that He does not approve of, end it. If your relationship with Him is not as strong as you want it to be when He returns, strengthen it today, for you may not have tomorrow. Jesus may return today. Are you ready?