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In Matthew 24:46, Jesus describes the faithful servant. “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” The faithful servant is one who is obedient all the while he waits for his master’s return.

Regarding our Lord’s coming, some think the thing to do is look for omens and signs. This is a mistake. Concerning that day, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (24:36). The Lord’s coming will be as a “thief in the night.”

Instead, the faithful servant of God will prepare for that coming by being ever vigilant. Consider, if we are always obedient to our Lord, it matters not when He comes. We will be ready!

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

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We are saved by God’s grace. The term “grace” is properly understood as an undeserved gift. In other words, if any of us obtain salvation, it will not be because we earned it, but because God chose to extend to us that wonderful gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Accepting that, we ask the following two questions:

1. Does God choose to save everyone? The Biblical answer is no. Some will be saved, and some will be lost. In the day of judgment, some will go to hell, and be separated from God for eternity! (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8; among many others).
2. Who does God choose to save? Is His choice arbitrary? Is it made regardless of the behavior of man? The Biblical answer is again, no! Consider Hebrews 5:9, concerning the sacrifice of the Lord, “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”

We can’t earn our salvation. But, the Bible clearly says that God chooses to extend the undeserved gift of grace only to the obedient.

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In Romans 11, the apostle Paul notes that God has not forsaken His chosen people, the Israelites (vs. 2). However, he emphasizes in the letter that there has been a change in who God regards as chosen! He states in verse 5, “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”

Now, the remnant that remains of God’s chosen or elected ones, are those who have obtained grace. As Paul noted in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

This remnant includes those among the Jews who believe and obey the gospel of Christ, and also those among the Gentiles who do the same. In our text, Paul refers to the Gentiles as “a wild olive tree, …grafted in among them” (vs. 17).

God be praised that whether Jew or Gentile, we all have the hope of heaven if we believe!

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Romans 5:6-8 states, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It is interesting that Paul compares (in an unfavorable fashion) a “righteous” man and a “good” man to us as sinners. While we desire to be known as righteous, and can be, the reality is that we all have sinned, and as such appear as unrighteous before God.

And yet, God sent His son to die in our place. Both at the time of Christ’s sacrifice and today as well, men respond to that love and gift of grace with indifference and even a rebellious spirit.

In the very next chapter, Paul reveals the proper response to the love shown us by Christ. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certinaly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1b-2).

May all of us who have responded the Lord’s gospel remember the call of Christ, to live “soberly, righteously and godly in the present age” (cf. Titus 2:12).

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No doubt we all had a wonderful time with family and friends this past Thursday. Thanksgiving, as a national holiday, is certainly appropriate and beneficial. However, if it alone is a day where the giving of thanks by our nation takes priority, it is woefully inadequate. Christians especially should be quick to thank our Lord for the many physical and spiritual blessings we receive at His hand. Below is a quote I found on the subject. I commend it to you.

“Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future.”

Source unknown

“Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:3-5)..

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