I was struck by the Lenten reading for today. Matthew 25:31-46 talks about a day in the future when everyone will come before Jesus and He will inform each one of of their future.
This passage is all about the future, right? I confess that until today I always read this passage to indicate that I ought to live my life today so that in the end I will be found among those who will receive a positive reward rather then those who receive a negative reward.
But this morning it struck me. None of the people mentioned in the story had any particular concern about the future. They simply acted out their personal beliefs and focused on their own priorities. There were those who had obviously been impacted in their own personal lives to look beyond themselves and selflessly touch the lives of others. Then there were the others who simply lived for self - plain and simple.
I had to ask myself the question, Do I follow Christ today only because I can then be assured of my own personal well being for eternity? Or do I follow Christ today because He has paid for my freedom and He has changed me from the inside out? That change then WILL affect how I live - not simply for personal reward in eternity.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“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.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."
This passage is all about the future, right? I confess that until today I always read this passage to indicate that I ought to live my life today so that in the end I will be found among those who will receive a positive reward rather then those who receive a negative reward.
But this morning it struck me. None of the people mentioned in the story had any particular concern about the future. They simply acted out their personal beliefs and focused on their own priorities. There were those who had obviously been impacted in their own personal lives to look beyond themselves and selflessly touch the lives of others. Then there were the others who simply lived for self - plain and simple.
I had to ask myself the question, Do I follow Christ today only because I can then be assured of my own personal well being for eternity? Or do I follow Christ today because He has paid for my freedom and He has changed me from the inside out? That change then WILL affect how I live - not simply for personal reward in eternity.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“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.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
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