Today’s Devotion
Topic: Sheep or Goat?
Text: Mat 25: 31- 36, 40
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “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. 35 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, 36 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.
40 “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.’ Amen
A sheep is meek, neat and gentle. It totally knows and obeys the voice of its own shepherd- it will not do contrary. On the other hand, a goat is stubborn, smelly and unruly. It does what it pleases and is “smart enough” in its own eyes to avoid punishment. It ventures places that are forbidden and destroys whatever it sees for its own benefit.
Although majority of us profess Christ and are acclaimed by others as christians, it remains the Lord’s singular duty to weigh the heart of man and perceive his truest motives.
One day soon, Jesus will appear in glory and separate us into two groups- one on His right (SHEEP), the other to His left (GOAT). The only criteria for this categorization with eternal consequences is, “HOW WE RESPONDED TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE AROUND US JUST AS WE WOULD DO FOR CHRIST IF HE WAS PHYSICALLY IN THAT SITUATION”.
The measure is not in how long we have been with the Lord or how much effort we offer to ensure that church service goes well. It is in what we do after the service is over to bring all men to the saving knowledge of Christ and to care for them as Christ would expect us to do for Him.
Beloved, kindly heed this urgent call by responding to the sufferings and pain around you today. Be a heart that cheers other hearts, a hand that rescues the falling, a shoulder that bears the burdens of the feeble, the guide that leads the blind and the “JESUS” the world seeks to know.
We don’t need to physically encounter Jesus to honor Him with our giving and care. Each work of love demonstrated in the name of Christ to a neighbour, automatically credits our accounts of righteousness and makes us win favor with the Lord as SHEEP.
Meditate on this word and begin to pray. May the love of Christ reign in our hearts and cause us to reach out to those who need Christ. We are more blessed when we bless others. See you at church.
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