Devotions: Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus Tells About Final Judgement:

Points:
Jesus begins this story by saying, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats". Jesus goes on to say that the sheep will be to the right and the goats will be on the left. The sheep will be the chosen ones (blessed by the Father) because they:

1. Fed those who were hungry
2. Gave water to those in thirst
3. Gave shelter to strangers
4. Clothed the unclothed
5. Cared for the sick
6. Visited those in prison

Jesus then says that, "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me". Those that did these things will receive their inheritance. While those who did not do these things, he says, "Depart from me, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Problems:
The problems I see in this passage have to do with selfish people who do not care for other people and only for themselves. They will be cast out into eternal punishment. But those who do care for their fellow man will receive their heavenly reward.

Parallels:
Ezekiel 34:17,20; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Revelations 13:8; Hebrews 13:2; James 2:15, 16; 2 Timothy 1:16; Mark 9:43, 48; Jude 7; 2 Peter 2:4

Promises:
In this passage Jesus promises those who have remained righteous and care for their fellow man a place in the kingdom of heaven, but also promises eternal punishment for those who are too selfish and think only of themselves.

Perils:
This passage contains perils pertaining to those who do not or cannot change their ways and start seeing that every person was created in God's image. Each individual is a special creation of His. To not care about others is to not care about the one who created them.

Precepts
The precepts or command I see in this passage is about the greatest commandment Jesus gave and that is to love the Lord God with all your heart, your strength, your mind, and your spirit. The second precept is to love your neighbor as yourself. If we truly followed these commandments, then we would do everything we possibly could for the "least" of our brothers.

Applications:
I can apply this message in my life today by abiding in Jesus' words and keeping the commandments he has set forth to love the Lord my God with all my strength, all my mind, all spirit, and all my heart. I will also love my neighbor as myself and give of myself, my resources to those who were created in God's image and who do not have. I can volunteer at a homeless shelter and give of my time for a prison ministry. I can share God's word into the community to better gauge its needs. I can become selfless.