Daily Reading: Matthew 7
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7.21)
Devotional Thought: Politicians find it so easy to change their stories without any regard for truth or even consistency. They make statements one week that are completely contradictory to statements made a week earlier. (Sometimes it happens within 24 hours!) Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, has caused consternation for more than one politician who wanted to show a different side of herself/himself than what actually is. Even when they "get away with it", what message does this practice send to our children? Are we saying that it is OK to hide what really is as long as we can? Are we saying that it is better to make up stories that fit our narrative rather than tell the truth from the beginning?
This is especially tragic when what we say about ourselves spiritually does not match the reality of our souls. In the concluding chapter of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7), Jesus confronts that age-old problem: hypocrisy - pretending to be something that you are not. It is easy to say that we are following Jesus, but it is much harder to actually follow Jesus.
Jesus said just because we call him Lord does not mean that we have really made him Lord. How disastrous it will be for those who have play-acted at Christianity when they come to the end and hear our Savior and only Hope say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7.23). It’s not what we say, but it’s what we do that determines if we enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must always do the will of God. To the very end.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to not only call you Lord, but to make you Lord in every area of my life. I want to hear those words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." Amen.
Psalm of the Day: Psalm 86:1-10
1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you--you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
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