Matthew 7:21-23—“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. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Read todays devotion, Let’s take it to heart!, from Meditations on Favorite Scriptures a daily devotional that focuses on the gospel promises of Jesus Christ. Is Christ really serious when he says that he expects fruits of faith to fill the life of the believer? Does he really mean it when he exhorts us to test the spirits to see whether they are from God and to keep testing our own hearts and lives for the genuineness of our faith and works? Just how serious the Lord is in his expectations and demands is revealed in his warning words in the text before us. Not everyone who has the name of Jesus on his lips or who outwardly leads a respectable life will be admitted to the kingdom of heaven on the Last Day. There are many, the Savior warns, who are nothing but fakers in their profession of Christianity. They mouth the Lord’s name in public; they fold their hands at the proper time; they make a show of piety before the world—but their hearts are not in their actions. Hypocrisy is the name of the game they are playing. Good impressions before others are the reputation they are seeking. Honor and praise from the world is the motive that drives them. Fakers, hypocrites of the worst kind! But to no avail. Though they receive the praise of humans and for a time their pretense works, their falsehoods will be revealed one day to their shame and terror. Expecting some kind of gainful reward on the Last Day, they will receive the only reward they deserve—a sentence that is brief but terrible: “Away from me.” Such a dire word of warning ought to move us to a sincere and earnest self-examination. Let us indeed take it to heart! Does our profession of Christianity proceed from a heart of genuine faith, or is our Christianity a sham? May we be counted among those “who [do] the will of [the] Father,” those who, having been renewed in Spirit by the Word, bring forth genuine fruits of faith. Then ours will be that gracious invitation: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me, and know my thoughts! See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen. From Meditations on Favorite Scriptures: Devotions for a Year, Edited by Curtis A. Jahn © 2007 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 00:30:00 +0000
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