Good Intentions
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40.
Good intentions are a wonderful thing, but without acting on the expressions of good will, it is unfortunately meaningless. Sure, we are all human and we are not perfect, we make promises of good will and things happen, but when selfishness of taking care of what is important only to me and mine…the issue becomes one with grave spiritual consequences.
Jesus’ parable on the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew chapter twenty-five speaks of the last judgment and the separation of the righteous from the wicked. In both cases the question rose of their service or lack of service unto the Lord; “When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25: 38-40. The final judgment will find the righteous or Sheep entering into the presence of the Lord, and unfortunately, the wicked or goats will be separated from the Lord for all eternity.
Do you know which side you will sit on that day? It is possible to know, Jesus paid the penalty on the cross for all men to receive reconciliation with God and have the choice of eternal life…have you accepted His call- and chosen to make Him your Lord and Savior? Regardless to what else is going on in this life, there is no greater question than where you will spend eternity; tomorrow just maybe to late, chose eternity with our risen Savior today!
And what about those good intentions…those of us who have been saved by the grace of Almighty God, have the presence of The Holy Spirit living within, He is our Comforter and guide as we walk through this journey of life; He teaches us all things of our Master…and produces the fruit of the Spirit within us as we grow in His love. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.
Our good intentions are put into action through the sacrificial love of God that lives within. Let us follow where the Holy Spirit leads us, taking note of the least of those in our mist…giving service to the Lord in helping a brother or sister who may have fallen on the side of the road of life; examine yourself, are you really willing to forsake self and give to someone in need today-as the old spiritual hymn state, may the works I’ve done speak for me!
The works I’ve done,
Sometimes it seems so small,
It seems like I’ve done nothing at all.
Lord I’m (leaning) and depending on You,
If I do right You’re gonna see me through;
May the works (the works I’ve done),
Let it speak for me (for me).
God blessings of peace and mercy keep us all.