| Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For 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 took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'” (Matthew 25:31-40)
If you continue reading the scripture, you’ll see that both groups of people were surprised by what Jesus said. The sheep were praised, and the goats condemned. The sheep were not working for salvation, but they had a natural compassion for people that overflowed from their experience with God. The goats did not have this trait. We can see that Jesus is giving us an example of behavior associated with those who intimately know Him. The goats represent people who think they know the Lord but are really so preoccupied with their own lives that they never think about people in need. If we say we know the Lord but have no concern for others, then our beliefs are worthless. Faith without works is dead! (James 2:17)
PRAYER:
Lord, I pray to intimately know You. I ask You to give me a desire to serve people. Teach me how to be compassionate and to look on them the way You do. Forgive me for being self-absorbed. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. |
