No matter what is going on in the world around us, this we know … our sovereign God is in control and His plan will be accomplished, for the good of those who know and love Him, and for His glory! Jesus is on the throne and the angels are singing, “Holy! Holy! Holy!” at this very moment!! So what does that mean for your life, today and tomorrow? Does what you believe actually make a difference in the way you live?? God’s answer in His Word is an emphatic, “YES!” The apostles and early Christians certainly thought so, as Peter wrote in II Peter 3:11: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness …” And then he adds in verse 14: “According to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” The future, for those who believe in Jesus Christ, could not be any brighter!! But what about today? In our text today Jesus tied together details of the events surrounding His coming and instructions on how His disciples will be living while we wait for His return. Jesus explained that no one would know the day or the hour of His coming, but there would be signs that the time is near for those who were watching. Disciples of Jesus are called to do both: Watch and work!! While some look only at John’s “Revelation” for information about the “end times,” Matthew (along with Mark and Luke), Paul, Peter and John wrote often to the early church about Jesus’ return, encouraging the early Christians to stand firm as they lived as servants of Jesus in this world, facing persecution and trials of all kinds, because God was at work!! WE need to hear that message today and then respond by using all that He has given us to do all that He has called us to do. “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes” (Matthew 24:46).