Daily Devotional For Monday, February 23, 2026
Good day Southside. Thank you for joining us for today’s devotional. We have been making our way through the Gospel of Matthew, taking out time to go verse-by-verse, so we can apply the truth of God’s word to our hearts. Today, we pick up where we left off from yesterday. We are going to look at Matthew 24:42-44:
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (43) But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (44) For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (NASB).
There is a sense of alertness and urgency in Jesus’ words here. Jesus says that no thief gives you a heads up that they are going to break into your house ahead of time so that you can be ready for them. A homeowner has no idea when a thief plans to break into their house. So, he or she must be prepared just in case. What is true with this is true with the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus will come at an unexpected time. So, how can we speed this up? New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton offers 3 suggestions I have paraphrased:
- “The Gospel has to get to every language group. What can you personally do to help make that happen in your neighborhood, city, state, our nation and the world?
- The church needs to be everywhere it can be leading people into worshipping God and making disciples. What can you do to help make that happen?
- As disciples, we should help fulfill Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:34-40. Ministry without meeting people’s needs is empty. Jesus not only spiritually fed people, He also physically fed people. We can clothe people, help find shelter for the homeless, work for justice, strive to be good stewards of the environment, and etc. How can you personally help do this?” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 486).
Reflection Assignment: Look over the 3 options above. Take some time to ask God how you could do something in each of these. I know everyone is busy, but busyness is the death of ministry. If you can’t do each one, at least start with one of them.
Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (ESV).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, show me how and what I can do with each of these above. I do not want to have to get ready; I want to always be ready. I do not want to be caught off guard. I always want to be on guard. Use me Lord. Use me. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly