Watching the Signs and Knowing the Times

ByCraig

April 17

As long as we are on this side of glory, we will continue to struggle with priorities. As citizens of two kingdoms, we’re torn between two worlds. Jesus addresses this in today’s Bible reading.

Rather than being hypocritical and fearing people, Jesus tells His disciples, and us by extension, to set our attention on the things of God. On March 20, we discussed avoiding the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, and it is a Kingdom reality: hypocrisy hidden within our hearts will always be exposed. God sees us. He knows us intimately, and loves us more than we could ever fathom. Rather than fearing other people and their opinions, Jesus warns us to fear God. (Luke 12:4–7)

In light of this warning, He says that believers must acknowledge Him. (Luke 12:8–12) Those who do so will be acknowledged before His Father, but He will deny those who deny Him. You have probably seen warnings on Facebook from well-meaning brothers and sisters in Christ. They post a meme, prayer, or statement insisting that you share it on your wall. Next, they threaten you if you don’t and will even share this passage from Luke (out of context, of course) warning that if you ignore their demand, you’re denying Jesus. Just know that Luke 12:8–12 is not about sharing things on social media! Share what God’s Spirit leads you to stare—never what someone else tells you God wants you to share. (Romans 8:14)

Jesus then tells a parable about a rich fool whose priorities and stewardship bring about his downfall. Rather than wisely expanding his existing barns, he tears down everything in order to replace them, fill them with more crops, and begin to rest on his laurels in pride and self-sufficiency. Instead, he should trust God and let Him take care of his needs. (Luke 12:13–21)

We don’t know if Dr. Luke presents the same message spoken by Jesus in Matthew 6 about worry. It may have been at another time and place where Jesus urged His disciples to reject anxiety by pursuing inexhaustible treasure in heaven. (Luke 12:21; 12:32) The takeaway is that Jesus stresses the importance of having His priorities.

Finally, Jesus tells His disciples to be alert and pay attention to signs regarding the end times. As noted yesterday, we’re already living in the end times, and God is providing signs as we draw closer to the end of the end times. But He doesn’t give us these signs to scare us. Believers have no reason to fear the end of this age. In 1 Chronicles 12:32, the sons of Issachar are recognized as those who knew the times they were living in and were wise about applying that knowledge to know what to do. The same remains true for us.

Application

Fearing God rather than people enables us to understand the times we’re living in. How? Because it resets our eyes on Him—not the world, our wants, desires, or agendas. (Hebrews 12:2) With eyes on Him, we gain Heaven’s perspective. We see clearly. Further still, building our priorities around Him and what He’s revealing will always help us to better steward our lives, free from emotionally-charged anxiety, free from the sway of the fallen world, free like the Son intended us to be. (John 8:36)

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman

Similar Posts

  • In the Beginning

    ByCraig

    January 1 John begins his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 (CSB) Right out of the gate, John recalls the first chapter of Genesis, which states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and…

  • |

    What Kind of Fruit?

    ByCraig

    In yesterday’s devotional, we saw the need for believers—as branches—to bear fruit. Most importantly, we discovered that the branches’ responsibility is to stay attached to the Vine and allow His life to flow through them. (John 15:4–5) The branches don’t have to struggle to produce fruit. In fact, the branches bear fruit that the true…

  • Do not Judge

    ByCraig

    February 7 Matthew 7:1-2, CSB, marks one of Jesus’ most frequently quoted statements of all time. Unfortunately, many quote it for the wrong reasons. Probably the number one wrong reason is using it as a “permission slip” to openly live in sin. Another form of this argument rewords Jesus’ statement like this: “Only God can…

  • The Crucifixion of Jesus

    ByCraig

    May 2 2 In most Easter pageants I’ve seen, the crowds during Jesus’ final days include the same actors and characters with whom Jesus interacted during His ministry and those who shout “Crucify,” leading up to His death. I suspect this is because many churches and ministries’ productions of Passion plays don’t have enough cast…