Matthew 25:31-46
“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.
“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.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“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.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Reflection
God’s love for us is not merely a feeling. God chases after us and blesses us and does things to lead us into a closer bond with Him. When we disobey, He disciplines us so that none are lost but look to Him for reconciliation. So when God tells us to love one another the way He loves us, He meant to love each other with our actions. He didn’t mean for us to just stand around and THINK about how much we love people. He wants us to help those in need, be kind, patient, and merciful to those around us. That’s what love is.
Even when we are in Christ, we don’t all behave as if we love people by God’s definition. But as long as we stay near to Him, we are guaranteed to. It is the love of Christ in us that makes it possible to love others the way God wants us to.
Where do you see yourself on the spectrum of loving others with your mind and with your actions? Do you feel like you have been doing what God wants you to do toward your neighbor? If not, what is keeping you from sharing a godly love toward others?
Please share your comments below. We’d love to hear how God moves in your life!
