Scripture Scribbles: November 26, 2023

the Gospel

Mathew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place 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.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

the devotion

Am I a sheep or a goat?

I laugh at this question. I laugh because my husband and I have often said, while raising our six children, “Don’t be sheep! Don’t go along with the crowd.” And yet this passage in Matthew is imploring us to be sheep!

The difference is the Shepherd!

Who’s voice are we listening to - the Good Shepherd's voice or the world’s? On this journey of Faith that I’ve been on I’ve gotten better at realizing I need to work on my relationship with the Lord. I’ve rather enjoyed becoming friends and letting Him lead me. I picture Him laughing at my small ways of trying to be a better person, more caring, more intentional, more loving. He laughs because I stumble and trip and mess up a lot, but I’m stumbling forward. I really do have Heaven as my goal. That part is easy, Jesus as my friend. What about Jesus as my Judge? That’s something I haven’t given a lot of thought to. He will separate us, like sheep and goats. Now I’m realizing being a sheep and following God’s voice, God’s path, God’s will is the way to Heaven, to Eternal Life. Being a goat, being stubborn, doing things my way, and butting up against those things in my path. The people that are hard to love, the hungry the thirsty….am I seeing them? It’s time I look at my life again and these Corporal works of Mercy. When my kids were younger I would read through these works almost patting myself on the back… six kids 10 and under? Feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty? You BET! Clothe the naked? Literally! Tend to the sick? Often! Visit the imprisoned? (Every “time out”). My kids have grown, I can’t even remember the last “time out”. They make meals that far surpass what I was serving! So maybe now my attention needs to turn outward. Who has God placed in my life, on my path? Are they thirsty for love? Attention? Hungry for my time? Are they injured from the wounds of gossip, feelings of anxiety… how can I help? How can I be a sheep? Help me see those in need, right in my own family, my neighbor or the stranger on the street.

I pray that I am placed on Your right. I pray that one day I am standing shoulder to shoulder with all those I love and encounter in this world. I pray that I will one day enjoy the Kingdom of eternal glory with Christ The King.

Amen

Today’s devotion is written by Beth Brennan