The following is a short devotion I adapted from David Wilkerson.  It paints an accurate picture of the church today— infatuated with wealth and riches and blessings and supposed favor and enamored with living in this world, and not in the Kingdom of God.

Don't let the following be said of you. 

Be different. 

Spend your life living in His Kingdom, and not on the shores of Laodicea.

In Matthew 24 Jesus uses a parable to teach about being ready for his return:

"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.  Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?  Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.  Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

"But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:44-51)

Note that Jesus is speaking about slaves here, meaning believers. One slave is called faithful and the other evil. What makes the latter evil in God’s eyes?  According to Jesus, it's something he "says in his heart" (24:48). This slave doesn't voice such a thought and he doesn't preach it.  But he thinks it.  He has sold his heart on the demonic lie, "The Lord delays his coming."  Notice he doesn't say, "The Lord isn't coming," but "he delays his coming."  In other words, "Jesus won't come suddenly or unexpectedly. He won't return in my generation."

This "evil slave" is clearly a type of believer, perhaps even one in ministry. He was commanded to "watch" and "be ready," for "the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will" (Matthew 24:44).  Yet this man eases his conscience by accepting Satan's lie.

Jesus shows us the fruit of this kind of thinking.  If a slave is convinced that the Lord has delayed his coming, then he sees no need for right living.  He isn’t compelled to make peace with his fellow slaves.  He doesn't see the need to preserve unity in his home, at work, in church.  He could beat his fellow slaves, accuse them, hold grudges, destroy their reputations.  As Peter says, this slave is driven by his lusts.  He wants to live in two worlds, indulging in evil living while believing he's safe from righteous judgment.

Once again, are you ready for His return?  If so, great!

And if not, why?

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