Jesus told us thousands of years ago what the final days would look like — wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes. We see these things happening every time we turn on the news and we think we understand the prophecy. We have become experts at tracking the signs in the world.
But that was never the real warning. Those things have always been with us. What He actually warned us would define the final days was this: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” — Matthew 24:12.
A cold heart doesn’t happen all at once. It happens degree by degree. A hurt you never forgave, a disappointment you never released, a hundred tragedies scrolled past until you stopped feeling them at all. We learn to watch suffering while we eat dinner, to have opinions about everything, and compassion for almost nothing. We tell ourselves we are cold because the world is cold.
You can survive a war around you, but you cannot survive a war inside you that teaches you to hate. To keep your heart warm when the world gives you every reason to harden — to forgive when you could hold a grudge, to reach out when it would be easier to look away, to pray for those you disagree with instead of despising them — that is the real test of these days. God will not ask how accurately we charted prophecy. He will ask if we kept our hearts soft enough for Him to still live in them.
Times are tough, there’s no denying it. But don’t let this world have the final say over your heart. Keep your hearts and minds tied to the heavenly realm — to what is eternal, to what is true, to the love that never grows cold.
“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 24:11-13
Being About The Journey 