Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, 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.”
– Matthew 24:32-39
Devotion
Jesus had recently used the barren fig tree as an object lesson. Once again, He will use a fig tree to teach a spiritual truth. This time He points out how you can tell when a fig tree is about ready to produce its fruit. There are certain signs that indicate when it is ready to produce fruit. In the same way, Jesus is saying there are clear signs leading up to His imminent return. He goes on to answer the disciple’s original question: “When?” He goes on to explain that the time of His return is known only to the Father. Even Christ, in His human nature, so voluntarily limited His own capacities that He knew not the time of His second coming (Mark 13:32). It is enough for us to know that He surely will come!
The Big Question
What does the parable of the fig tree teach us in relation to the events Jesus described? While we are taught to keep alert for the “signs of the times,” Jesus also taught that no one (not even Himself) knows the precise day or hour set for His return. How are you living your life in expectation of Christ’s return?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.