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Today's Devotional

But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you—Revelation 3:3 (NIV).

Consider first who urges you to be on the watch. Jesus has no desire to take you unawares. Notice that he does not positively say, “I will come to you as a thief,” but “If you will not watch, I will come to you as a thief.” His object in giving you notice is that you may expect him continually.

Consider secondly, that “you will not know at what time I will come to you.” His arrival will be at a time unknown not only to yourself, but to all the physicians who are attending you, to all your friends, relations, and acquaintances; so that no one will be able to say, “The thief is coming.” How many there are who die by accident, so suddenly that they are known to be dead before they are known to be dying!

Consider thirdly, that even if you are awake, waiting for your Lord, you may still think he comes to you like a thief because he will take from you everything you have: wealth, glory, greatness, friends, relations, country, comforts, and your body itself. But this is the case only if you are living in a state of attachment to these goods. Otherwise he will come to you, not as a thief, to take from you what is yours, but as a master, to require from you what was only lent by him for your use.

Watch over your heart, then; call aloud to it, arouse it, so that your Lord will not deal with you as a thief, but as a benefactor, because he will take from you the less, and give you the greater; He will take away earth, and give you heaven; he will take away what is transient, and give you what is eternal. Christ, “having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 ESV). 

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Contemplate the story of the Incarnation day-by-day throughout the season of Advent in our latest publication, The Grand Miracle. Based on the writings of C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, Dorothy Sayers, and others, each day’s reading offers a fresh look at the birth of Christ through the eyes of a modern author. Scripture, prayer, and full-page contemplative images complete each entry. 28 days, 64 pages. Preview the Devotional here.

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About the author and the source

Paul Segneri (1624–1694) was a Jesuit priest who labored in mission work throughout Italy until his writings came to the attention of Pope Innocent XII. In 1679, Innocent commanded Segneri to come to Rome, where he worked for the rest of his life. Today’s devotional is condensed from one of his lengthy meditations.