Readings for today: Exodus 28, Matthew 25:31-26:13, Psalms 31:9-18, Proverbs 8:12-13
I love today’s reading from Matthew 25. I love how the righteous and unrighteous appear before the judgment seat of Christ. I love the vision of Jesus coming with his angels to reign and rule over the earth. My heart longs for the day when all evil and suffering and pain and death will perish and eternal life will begin in earnest.
On that day, I want to be counted among the righteous. I want to be set at God’s right hand. I want to inherit the Kingdom prepared for me from before the foundations of the world. So what will that take? At first glance, it seems like a whole lot of work! :-) Feeding the hungry. Making sure thirsty are refreshed. Clothing the naked. Visiting the sick. Spending time with those who are incarcerated. Welcoming the immigrant or stranger. If I’m not careful, this will become a “to-do” list as I seek to work my way towards salvation. A standard I have to meet in order to be declared righteous in God’s sight. But a careful reading reveals something much different.
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” (Matthew 25:37-39) This is the mark of true righteousness. It is never self-conscious. Never self-promoting. Never self-centered. The righteous who cry out to Jesus seem utterly unaware of how much they’ve been serving the Lord. They are not trying to follow some roadmap to heaven. They are not trying to earn their salvation. They are simply living from a deep relationship with Christ. Their love for the least and lost in the world is the natural outgrowth of their faith.
The gospel transforms us from the inside out. It starts in our hearts and extends to our hands and feet. It is subconscious more than conscious. It is instinctive. Intuitive. Innate. When your heart has been changed by Jesus, you cannot help yourself but love what He loves and serve those He serves. As you ponder and pray over these verses today, ask yourself the following questions, “Do I find myself naturally doing the things listed in this passage? Is my heart broken for the same things that break God’s heart? Do I live generously? Open-handedly? Always looking for opportunities to serve the least and lost in our world?” If so, if these things come more and more naturally to you with each passing year, then be assured you are in Christ. You have an inheritance waiting for you from the Lord Himself.
Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 29:1-30:10, Matthew 26:14-46, Psalms 31:19-24, Proverbs 8:14-26