March 19

Mt. 25:31-46

Jesus is coming back! He’s coming back in glory, and He’s coming back
to restore that which has been corrupted by sin and death. Those who’ve
faithfully called on Him as Savior, obeying His commands and loving a
world in need, have mirrored His heart and will be welcomed into
eternal life with Him. As followers, I hope this excites us. To know
we’ll be in glory with our King forever is knowledge too sweet to fully
comprehend.

An underlying theme of our reading this week has been faithfulness as
we await Christ’s return. What is Jesus looking for from His followers
as they stay alert? He expects us to take care of a world in need. He
looks for us to remember the forgotten, defend the defenseless and
express compassion to a broken humanity. Lord, please grant us eyes to
see and hands to work with the passion of your heart!

There is a dark side to this reality. Simply, hell is real. Hell is not a
popular subject, and there are those false teachers who would lead us to
believe hell is metaphorical or worse, doesn’t exist. Jesus has clear
words for those who do not believe in Him and live in His ways: eternal
punishment awaits. This should motivate us to be on the front lines of
sharing the great news: hell does not have to be your end. Jesus invites
all who call on His name to be with Him forever. The world needs this
message now more than ever!

What would it look like for you to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or
welcome the stranger in today’s world? How will you pursue living
with Jesus’ heart today? Who will you pursue in prayer and word that
needs to be rescued from the clutches of sin and death?