Have you ever felt like a situation was never going to change? You wanted it to change. You prayed for it to change. But it just never seemed like change was going to happen. Or what about looking at the condition of the world, and wonder how long is God going to wait to do something about what is going on. Jesus said that many will have this opinion or feeling as we get closer and closer to the return of Jesus. Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 24:12-13, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” In these verses, Jesus shows us both sides of humanity. On the one hand, there are those whose love will grow cold, that is their love and commitment to Jesus will wane. This is because as Jesus said “lawlessness abounds.” While we might tend to think of this in terms of riots and things like we are seeing; Jesus is actually referring to the fact that people will not love and obey God. We will continue to go further and further away from the truth of God’s Word. On the other hand, those who persevere will give evidence to the truth that they are saved. The Bible teaches that those who are saved are secure in God’s grace. It’s not just that they won’t fall away in their faith, it is that they can’t fall away in their faith. This is because God’s grace is not only sufficient to save us, it is also sufficient to sustain us and keep us until the very end.
With these two truths, we must understand that more than our words, it is our actions that show our relationship with Jesus or lack there of. As Christians, we must remain faithful to God no matter what comes in life. No matter what is going on around us, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must follow Him. We must hold one another accountable for the life that we live. The reason that many backslide is because there is no one to encourage them and hold them accountable. This is one of the ways that the church can be a blessing to believers. The church is a reminder that you are not alone. There are others who can help you and encourage you when your walk gets difficult. Don’t let your love grow cold. The best way to prevent this is by being in the Word every day. The more I know God the more I will love God. You can’t read of God’s love, grace, and mercy and not love Him. How are you doing on reading the Bible? It’s not about reading it through in a year. It is about reading it at a pace where you can read it, meditate on it, and memorize portions of it. You do all of that so that you can obey the Bible. One of the best ways to hold yourself accountable in reading, is to read it with someone. Then meet with them either in person or digitally once a week to discuss what you are reading and what God is teaching you. Your love growing cold or not is within your control. You can either fan the flames or allow them to be extinguished.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin