Matthew 25:31-46

The Next Step – Serve

I couldn't have been more humbled when I received this hand-made bench that now has a home on my deck, on the last day of the school year. I was walking away after twenty five years of working with an amazing group of adults and children at my middle school. 

In ways I felt like, "Hey, they got it!" They noticed I went out of my way to serve others, and I am a follower of Christ. That had been my mission field for many years. Then I thought, "Wait a minute, this isn't the end, it is just the beginning!" One of the reasons I am ending this journey is to embark on another one. The need is never ending, and service is just part of the story. 

In Matthew 25:31-46 we read the story of the Son of Man coming in Glory to separate the righteous from the unrighteous. How those who served others will reap the benefits of eternal life, and those who did not going away to eternal punishment. 

We don't like speaking of hell, but it is mentioned in many of the books of the bible. As I serve others and think of how I can do more, it is not because if I don't I may go to hell. I serve others because it's the right thing to do. It is following the word of the Lord. 

Jesus came to serve people, with humility. Because he was human, he surely felt uneasy and threatened at times, but he knew what we also know about what awaits us after this life. So being out of our comfort zone as Jesus often was is part of the mission. 

Today many of us are too busy to take the time for others in need. Well, we need to MAKE time. It may mean giving up other activities, or rearranging schedules to accommodate others, but that's how others know we care. They need to know how much we care before they will open up to us and trust enough to allow us into their heart.

We freely give gifts of money and material things on special occasions, but consider the difference it will make when we give the gift of the Savior. It's free and will last FOREVER. 

Read/Listen to Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 7:15-23

A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Looks can be deceiving.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Don’t believe everything you hear.
This is all good advice, but difficult to heed, as reality is often unclear. What is real and true is not necessarily obvious. We must seek it, because this world does not lend itself to God’s love and truth. It is easy to follow the phony, because that is what everyone else is doing. It makes us feel comfortable if we fit in, but think about this; our eternity is contingent upon the short life we have here on earth. The choices we make here determine our true forever! Be cautious.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothes, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, and every bad tree bears bad fruit….” “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

I urge you to view this video of Francis Chan.
View Video

Read complete passage here
Listen to complete passage here