One of history’s more jarring moments happened around a.d. 70 when Roman soldiers surrounded the city of Jerusalem, starved the Jewish rebels inside, and eventually crushed the crown jewel of Israel. Listen to how Jesus predicted and explained the coming destruction: “The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:43,44).

That last line got my attention. “Recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Be aware of how and when God himself is reaching out to you. Although most of us live far from Jerusalem and long after the fall of the temple, those words are worthy of taking to heart.

God comes to us in his Word. Although it might just seem like a book (or a quote in a digital devotion) or a mediocre preacher or another Sunday service, when the Bible is read/heard/preached, God is coming to us. Ignore his voice, and your spiritual destruction is sure to come. Pay attention to his warnings and promises, and you will end up in the new Jerusalem, the city where the Most High God dwells.

Recognize how God reaches you. He reaches out to you through his Word.