Psalms 119:89-176
1 Corinthians 8
“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.’” Matthew 25:34
About the end times, Jesus gave this parable: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All 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. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” To His sheep, the King will say, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:32-35). What a joy it would be to hear this! Can we imagine the kind of kingdom Jesus is inviting people into? A kingdom where there is no hunger, the thirsty are satisfied with living waters, the naked are clothed, the sick are healed and the prisoner is set free. This is a kingdom that we are all longing for, but the sobering news is that not everybody will receive this type of reception from the King.
Why? If we consider the context of this parable, Jesus gave it after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He was healing the sick, the lame and the broken at the Temple Mount. He also demonstrated His authority and spoke openly about Himself but was ultimately rejected. The wicked did not recognize Jesus. One of the reasons why was because He embraced the despised, the rejected, the lame, the lepers and the outcasts of society.
Hence, the goats—the wicked—were told the exact opposite by the King: “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jesus was directing this phrase to the religious leaders, the priests and the most devout of society who believed they were worshipping God, but in reality, they were actually worshipping the devil because the by-product of their theology and their life was a disregard for the very things that the King desired. Instead of a life of love, compassion and justice for the hurting and broken, they were creating a system of hurting and breaking the downtrodden with religious overtones attached to it.
As hard as judgment is, there is good news because what Jesus is telling us is that all the injustice, hatred, wickedness and hurt will one day be separated and contained, where it will no longer wreak havoc on society. As His sheep, may we seek to live a life of love, compassion and justice towards the hurting and broken. Then, on the day of judgment, we will hear the words “Come, you who are blessed by My Father!”
Dear God, guide me in living a life of love, compassion and justice for the hurting and the broken. Help me to have regard for the people that You love. Thank You, Lord.
1 Corinthians 8
“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.’” Matthew 25:34
About the end times, Jesus gave this parable: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All 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. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” To His sheep, the King will say, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:32-35). What a joy it would be to hear this! Can we imagine the kind of kingdom Jesus is inviting people into? A kingdom where there is no hunger, the thirsty are satisfied with living waters, the naked are clothed, the sick are healed and the prisoner is set free. This is a kingdom that we are all longing for, but the sobering news is that not everybody will receive this type of reception from the King.
Why? If we consider the context of this parable, Jesus gave it after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He was healing the sick, the lame and the broken at the Temple Mount. He also demonstrated His authority and spoke openly about Himself but was ultimately rejected. The wicked did not recognize Jesus. One of the reasons why was because He embraced the despised, the rejected, the lame, the lepers and the outcasts of society.
Hence, the goats—the wicked—were told the exact opposite by the King: “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jesus was directing this phrase to the religious leaders, the priests and the most devout of society who believed they were worshipping God, but in reality, they were actually worshipping the devil because the by-product of their theology and their life was a disregard for the very things that the King desired. Instead of a life of love, compassion and justice for the hurting and broken, they were creating a system of hurting and breaking the downtrodden with religious overtones attached to it.
As hard as judgment is, there is good news because what Jesus is telling us is that all the injustice, hatred, wickedness and hurt will one day be separated and contained, where it will no longer wreak havoc on society. As His sheep, may we seek to live a life of love, compassion and justice towards the hurting and broken. Then, on the day of judgment, we will hear the words “Come, you who are blessed by My Father!”
Dear God, guide me in living a life of love, compassion and justice for the hurting and the broken. Help me to have regard for the people that You love. Thank You, Lord.
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