“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. 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 invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit 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 invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “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 25:34-40)
When the day of judgment comes in the kingdom of God, the Lord will separate the sheep from the goats, the found from the lost, the saved from the unsaved. As this separation happens, each person will be personally evaluated to see how they lived their life and to see if their life reflects their love for their Savior.
In today’s key Scripture passage, Jesus says the evidence that sheep actually follow the shepherd is because the sheep loves who the shepherd loves and cares about who the shepherd cares about. There are six things: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, hospitality to the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and visiting those in prison.
Jesus says when we do these things, it’s as if we were doing them for Him. But He also says if we neglected to do these things, it’s like we were neglecting Him.
Notice the basis for his selection was not church membership, religion, tithing, Bible memory or even baptism. Everything they had been taught (particularly by the legalistic Pharisees) had just gone out the window.
What is the sign of a sheep? How do you know someone truly is following the shepherd named Jesus? It is not your seminary degrees, your church attendance, or your theological knowledge. No, the sign of the saved is their love for the least.
Dear Lord, I want it to be obvious that the way I live my life is a reflection of you and your love. So with that in mind, I pray that you would give me opportunities this week to love and serve others so that they might experience the love of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Love
