Tag Archives: Judgement

Seemingly Random Acts of Kindness

Status

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31-32 ESV1

Read Matthew 25:31-46

This morning, as I was working from a hotel room, pondering how to best put in writing what is on my heart and mind, I glanced over and read the words on a small sign next to me on the desk. It detailed the hotel’s policy for changing towels and bed linens as it related to their commitment to positively impacting the environment. The notice contained a quote from an unknown influencer.

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

I know the hotel included this quote as a motivation for their guests to join them in their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint but I couldn’t help but think about how the truth of that statement applies to us as Christians and how it connects to the passage of Scripture I wish to highlight today.

Continue reading →

Holy House Cleaning

Posted on by

 “Is it not written, ‘My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV1

Read Matthew 21:12-16, Mark 11:15-19 & Luke 19:45-48

Ah! Spring! The birds are chirping. The sun is shining. The days are getting longer. After a long, cold winter, it is time for Spring Cleaning. Now is my chance to open up the windows and air out the house allowing the warm breeze with its earthy smell to penetrate every room. Now, I have the opportunity to move every piece of furniture and clean from behind and under all that has been hiding during the previously dark and dreary season. Now, I can finally wash the windows inside and out removing all the grime that has collected upon them over the last few months. I love that fresh, inviting feeling my home emanates after a thorough cleaning. I’m not the only one who realizes the need for this type of deep cleaning. Jesus was known to do a little Spring Cleaning Himself. One Spring day, just before Passover, …

Continue reading →

A Day of Reckoning

Posted on by

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” Luke 12:37 ESV1

Read Matthew 24:45-51; Mark 13:32-37 & Luke 12:35-48

As Christ Followers, thoughts of the Rapture are almost exclusively pleasant. Though we may be troubled by the mass chaos and extreme difficulties that will be faced by those who are left behind, we usually don’t worry about our own state. We expect that Christ’s returning will be a glorious time when we are swept from this troubled Earth and deposited in Heaven where there will be nothing but peace and joy and comfort for the rest of eternity.

But Jesus made it quite clear that the Rapture won’t produce bliss for all who have chosen Him as their Lord. The Coming of Christ will include judgment on all who belong to Him. Jesus’ return will be a day of reckoning, “a time when one is called to account for one’s actions … to fulfill one’s promises or obligations.”2 This Day will be a time when each of us who have decided to follow Jesus will be held liable for how we have managed what He has placed in our care. If we have been good stewards, we will be rewarded. And if we have mismanaged our callings, we will face severe consequences. The way Jesus spoke to His closest disciples about The End of the Age and His return made it impossible for there to be any doubt concerning this truth.

Continue reading →

A Team Effort

Posted on by

“I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me … I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me.” John 5:30 & 43 ESV1

Read John 5:17-47

It has been a sad week for me. I found out that two well-known, influential, Christian leaders are not getting along. This disharmony pains me because I greatly respect both of them, and I have learned much from each of them. Their books sit side by side on my bookshelf. Apparently, that is the only place where they can be in such proximity to one another. The one has publicly, pridefully, and unlovingly condemned the other. Is the berated one off-base? Possibly. Has she been fraternizing with others who, in some areas, are even more mistaken than she? Probably. But is she any more in error than one rebuking her? I don’t think so. His faults are just in different areas than hers.

Continue reading →