March 20 "That Day"
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt. 7:22, 23.
"That day" is the day of judgment, the time when all accounts get settled and God hands out rewards and punishments.
A story tells of a young boy given the task of planting string beans in his mother's garden. The job started out quite well as he carefully broke up the clods and planted each seed every two inches down the rows. But the sun was getting hotter and his friends passed him, waving happily as they headed toward the swimming hole. Soon the job became less and less attractive. "Whoever," he asked himself, "would want so many string beans? What a waste of a summer day." Such thoughts put an end to his faithfulness. He had done enough, he concluded, and dumped the rest of the seeds in a hole partway down a row. His mother was pleased, though. All looked well. But then "that day" arrived. In his case it was when the seeds sprouted. It was plain to all what had happened. The day of reckoning had come.
"That day," Jesus tells us, will eventually happen for the entire world. Then our relationship to God's will will be evident to all. How we have lived our lives will make a difference. Our present is a part of our future. According to Jesus, it will determine our future. That is His teaching in Matthew 7:21-23.
The judgment decision of Jesus, "depart from me," "I never knew you," will be the hardest He will ever have to say. Some people have the idea that the final judgment is so that God can weed out as many people as possible. But that is Satan's interpretation, not God's intent.
The opposite position is the one in which the truth lies. God and Christ want to see as many people in heaven as possible. The judgment is not to keep them out, but to get them in. It certifies before all the universe that they have indeed accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as the atonement for their sins, and that they have allowed God to fill them with the principle of His love.
God and Christ have done Their part in this drama. The only question is, "Have we?" Have we allowed the Holy Spirit into our hearts to infuse God's loving principles? Have we allowed Him to live out those principles in our daily lives?
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt. 7:22, 23.
"That day" is the day of judgment, the time when all accounts get settled and God hands out rewards and punishments.
A story tells of a young boy given the task of planting string beans in his mother's garden. The job started out quite well as he carefully broke up the clods and planted each seed every two inches down the rows. But the sun was getting hotter and his friends passed him, waving happily as they headed toward the swimming hole. Soon the job became less and less attractive. "Whoever," he asked himself, "would want so many string beans? What a waste of a summer day." Such thoughts put an end to his faithfulness. He had done enough, he concluded, and dumped the rest of the seeds in a hole partway down a row. His mother was pleased, though. All looked well. But then "that day" arrived. In his case it was when the seeds sprouted. It was plain to all what had happened. The day of reckoning had come.
"That day," Jesus tells us, will eventually happen for the entire world. Then our relationship to God's will will be evident to all. How we have lived our lives will make a difference. Our present is a part of our future. According to Jesus, it will determine our future. That is His teaching in Matthew 7:21-23.
The judgment decision of Jesus, "depart from me," "I never knew you," will be the hardest He will ever have to say. Some people have the idea that the final judgment is so that God can weed out as many people as possible. But that is Satan's interpretation, not God's intent.
The opposite position is the one in which the truth lies. God and Christ want to see as many people in heaven as possible. The judgment is not to keep them out, but to get them in. It certifies before all the universe that they have indeed accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as the atonement for their sins, and that they have allowed God to fill them with the principle of His love.
God and Christ have done Their part in this drama. The only question is, "Have we?" Have we allowed the Holy Spirit into our hearts to infuse God's loving principles? Have we allowed Him to live out those principles in our daily lives?
RSS Feed
