Our God, Our Judge – Week of November 9, 2020

(Part of the story of The Sheep and the Goats) 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.”

Matthew 25:40

“Give Back”.” Pay it forward”. “Spread kindness like confetti.” Have you noticed any other “goodwill movements” in the news or on social media? As Christians, we have our own. We show love to others because God loved us first and gave us more than we deserve when he sent his son to die for us.

When Jesus comes again he will rule as judge. All people, those still on earth and those that have died, will be judged on the last day. Some people will go to heaven, and some people will go to hell. He will look into the heart of each person that ever lived and send them to live eternally with him in heaven or to be eternally separated from him in hell. Not everyone will be saved. Both heaven and hell are eternal and permanent. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? That in one instant our eternity will be decided by one person?

This truth sounds harsh because it is contrary to what the world tries to tell us. The world tries to tell us that whatever a person believes is “their truth”. In this time of tolerance, the world wants us to believe that “everyone has a little good in them” and that everyone has a right to “their truth”. But not everyone will go to heaven. Not everyone believes the real truth that will give them a place in heaven.

Jesus describes this “last day” at the end of his ministry, as recorded in the book of Matthew. Jesus says that he will remember our time on earth and wants us to live a life of service for others. He wants us to help people by caring for them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It is important that we note that Jesus is not saying that we can earn heaven by serving others. The path to heaven is through the blood of Jesus alone, not by any good we do on this earth. And yet, showing love to others by serving them is evidence that we have faith in Christ. When Jesus says “whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” he means that even the simplest of acts that we do for those he puts in our homes and community will show our faith. We are so thankful for the grace that God showed us by forgiving our many sins, that we want to serve others. By serving others, our love for God shines through.

Prayer: Dear God,
Thank you for the mercy you have shown me by sending Jesus to save me from my sins. Help me to show my love for you by caring for others. Amen.

A Question to Consider:
What opportunities has God given you to care for people in your life? Is there someone that needs help finding resources to care for their physical or emotional needs? How can you help connect the people in your life to God’s Word?

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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