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Leviticus 1-3 Matthew 24:1-28

“There will be more and more evil in the world, so most people will stop showing their love for each other. But those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved. The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:12-14 NCV)

Everybody wants to know about the end of the world. The disciples joined in that discussion by asking Jesus when the end would come. Jesus’s answer is classic. He listed all the things the people thought would bring about the end of the world, and then said that it was only the beginning of the process. The two signs that Jesus pointed to were that evil would abound in the world and that the gospel would be proclaimed in all the world.

I don’t spend too much time worrying about the end of the world. I’m amused, and somewhat horrified by those who set dates, or talk breathlessly about those things Jesus said were the mere beginnings of the end. I can’t do anything about those things, and even if they were the portent of the imminent end of the world, that wouldn’t make me want to start wars or cause earthquakes. I’m concerned about the idea that people stop showing love fore each other, but that’s been happening forever. The one thing I can do is work to proclaim the gospel to all people. But, I don’t do it to hasten the end of the world, I do it to make each person’s world a better place by helping them find the joy of a relationship with God.

Lord, help me to share Your love with people wherever I go. I don’t know when the end of this world will come but let the only part I play in it come from sharing Your love.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.