The Goat and the Sheep
Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-34
click here to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12 NIV)
Do we forget the minus side to God’s end game sometimes and go about our lives thinking that we are fortunate to have heard and believed the Gospel, relieved to know that we will spend eternity with our Savior, completely comforted knowing that eternity with Him will be our reward. But, wait a minute, is life in this world supposed to be all about us Christians? What about the multitude that exists without the blessed knowledge of salvation?
Since we can claim the kingdom of heaven not as an earned reward, but as a gift of pure unmerited mercy, like we tell our kids, we need to share! We know that every person will be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness or misery. Are we so hard-hearted to the victims of Satan that we won't attempt to find the way into our brother's troubled thinking? We can't actually justify that selfish, frightened silence. We are not ignorant to the nonbeliever's fate and our lack of mercy for his destiny can hardly be seen as loving our neighbor as Jesus instructed. There comes a point when we must face our insecurities and submit in humble obedience to our Lord - suffering eternal punishment is horrible enough for us to get over our timidity.
Today’s meditation: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Memory Verse: He will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Mat 25:45 NIV)
Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-34
click here to read the scripture
Scripture Quote: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12 NIV)
Do we forget the minus side to God’s end game sometimes and go about our lives thinking that we are fortunate to have heard and believed the Gospel, relieved to know that we will spend eternity with our Savior, completely comforted knowing that eternity with Him will be our reward. But, wait a minute, is life in this world supposed to be all about us Christians? What about the multitude that exists without the blessed knowledge of salvation?
Since we can claim the kingdom of heaven not as an earned reward, but as a gift of pure unmerited mercy, like we tell our kids, we need to share! We know that every person will be sentenced to a state of everlasting happiness or misery. Are we so hard-hearted to the victims of Satan that we won't attempt to find the way into our brother's troubled thinking? We can't actually justify that selfish, frightened silence. We are not ignorant to the nonbeliever's fate and our lack of mercy for his destiny can hardly be seen as loving our neighbor as Jesus instructed. There comes a point when we must face our insecurities and submit in humble obedience to our Lord - suffering eternal punishment is horrible enough for us to get over our timidity.
Today’s meditation: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Memory Verse: He will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Mat 25:45 NIV)
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