Wednesday / Be a Good Sheep
Read Matt 25: 31-46(NLT)
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Think
Every day in my life God gives me opportunities to be a good sheep and not a goat. When I was a Pediatric nurse, I used to see little ones in need dozens of times a day. I tried to see them all as Jesus saw them, and I tried to do what I could in his name. I gave a cup of water freely. I held a small, cold hand kindly. I smiled and reassured and calmed and comforted. I tried to be a good sheep.
To be sure, this wasn’t always easy. Many of these lost little ones fought me. I was kicked more times than I can count. There were children who lashed out in fear and anger, scratching and clawing. I was even bitten a few times. But to be the good sheep that Jesus wants, I had to keep trying. I had to be just as kind to the mean little ones as I was to the sweet ones.
To be a good sheep I need to put my faith into action—to do something in Jesus’ name. But that doesn’t just mean I’m kind to those I love. I have to love the least ones—the ones who fight and scratch and bite—too. It means doing the work God has given me and sharing his love with everyone I meet.
Pray
Holy, Amazing, all-seeing God, you know me so well. You know how many times I turned away from helping someone. You’ve seen me go down the wrong paths and make the wrong choices. Yet you still love me and want me. Help me go your way, Lord. Help me be the person you’re calling me to be. Guide me and love me, now and always. Amen.
Do
Is there a difficult person in your life? Someone you just can’t get along with? Maybe a coworker whose attitude just gets under your skin, or a relative that has very different political views than you do. Perhaps there’s a person in your friend circle who just always says the wrong thing. Take some time over the next month, actually set aside a few minutes a day, and pray intentionally for this person. Talk to God about your difficult relationship. Be honest about your part in the struggle. Ask God to bless you both and heal and reconcile you. Then wait and listen for God to direct you. Be open to anything that God tells you to do. Go do it.
The View from Mt. Hope 