October 15 - Matthew 25,26
How do you feel about deadlines or due dates? How do you handle finishing jobs or accomplishing missions? That is what we read about in this passage. I can't overstate the importance of deadlines and missions in life. Let the Lord speak to you about them as you read these two chapters.
In chapter 25 Jesus again admonishes us all to be ready for His second coming. We must know Him in order to be ready. (25:12) Then, He says there will be a Judgment day for us as individuals. It will not deal with our sins. It will focus on what we did with what God gave us. Did we use what He gave us to make a spiritual profit for Him? That is a big reckoning day, isn't it? Finally, it seems He will judge nations, too. (25:32) This is a very final kind of judgment, because it ends with either eternal punishment or eternal life. Believe me, the results of this judgment are not based on works like feeding the poor or clothing the naked. Those works proceed from hearts of people who know Christ, and their lives have been changed by the Holy Spirit's power. Please, make sure you are ready for these deadlines. They will come!
Then, chapter 26 finds Jesus coming to the end of His earthly mission. He had been telling His disciples that this day would come, but they did not really understand. The anointing at Bethany and the Passover supper were both attempts to prepare them as the deadline approached. Jesus went to Gethsemane to make His final preparations and to encourage His disciples to "watch and pray." Then, the crowd came. Judas kissed Him. The beginning of the end had come. Jesus knew what was about to happen, but the disciples were not fully ready for the arrest of Jesus or the death of Jesus. Peter wept bitterly when he denied Jesus the third time in one evening. Jesus accomplished His mission with flying colors, but the disciples still had a long way to go. What about you? How are you doing with the mission God has set before you? Do you find yourself cutting off ears or praying? Do you find yourself denying Him or confessing your faith in Him? Yes, it is difficult, but it is life. If we miss out at this point we miss the meaning of life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 27 and 28.
In chapter 25 Jesus again admonishes us all to be ready for His second coming. We must know Him in order to be ready. (25:12) Then, He says there will be a Judgment day for us as individuals. It will not deal with our sins. It will focus on what we did with what God gave us. Did we use what He gave us to make a spiritual profit for Him? That is a big reckoning day, isn't it? Finally, it seems He will judge nations, too. (25:32) This is a very final kind of judgment, because it ends with either eternal punishment or eternal life. Believe me, the results of this judgment are not based on works like feeding the poor or clothing the naked. Those works proceed from hearts of people who know Christ, and their lives have been changed by the Holy Spirit's power. Please, make sure you are ready for these deadlines. They will come!
Then, chapter 26 finds Jesus coming to the end of His earthly mission. He had been telling His disciples that this day would come, but they did not really understand. The anointing at Bethany and the Passover supper were both attempts to prepare them as the deadline approached. Jesus went to Gethsemane to make His final preparations and to encourage His disciples to "watch and pray." Then, the crowd came. Judas kissed Him. The beginning of the end had come. Jesus knew what was about to happen, but the disciples were not fully ready for the arrest of Jesus or the death of Jesus. Peter wept bitterly when he denied Jesus the third time in one evening. Jesus accomplished His mission with flying colors, but the disciples still had a long way to go. What about you? How are you doing with the mission God has set before you? Do you find yourself cutting off ears or praying? Do you find yourself denying Him or confessing your faith in Him? Yes, it is difficult, but it is life. If we miss out at this point we miss the meaning of life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 27 and 28.