Dear God grant me the ability to love all people knowing that You are their Maker, the Creator of all in heaven and on earth.
James 2:15–16 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
The simplicity of the Gospel of Grace saves lives.
Acts 1:1-8 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit Promised
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The kingdom will be restored to Israel. It is just a matter of Father’s timing. When they accept Jesus as their King they will reach all of humanity with the truth. Until that time the power of Holy Spirit will take the teachings of Jesus and give them life in us to do good and not evil.
Matthew 24:11-14 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Isaiah 24:5-6
5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
Because they have transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
And few men are left.
Matthew 25:31-40 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Love God with all your being and love others as much as you do yourself. This is the great commission of God. His love for His creation is to be shared with all of humanity by our good works. (John 3:16-17) Carla
When shepherds brought in their flocks at the end of the day, they typically put the goats in a sheltered area while leaving the sheep in an open-air pen. The sheep in this analogy represent genuine followers of Jesus. They are the righteous ones (verse 37). The goats are the wicked, as well as those who may have thought themselves righteous but turn out not to be genuine followers of Jesus (verses 41, 44–45). 25:34 The Jewish worldview of Jesus’ day envisioned the present age ending with a time of tribulation, followed by divine judgment. Then God’s kingdom—the age to come—would be fully inaugurated. This schema also is reflected in the books of Daniel and Revelation.
Understanding John’s Revelation.
The actions described here (and in the next verse) reflect obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor—and thereby demonstrate love for God, as well (22:37–39). Jesus’ remarks here call for Christian care to reach all the way to the bottom of the social structure, thus inverting earthly values. Faithlife Study Bible
The final section of this discourse involves judgment. Matthew has been called “the Gospel of judgment” because the subject occurs so often. This is to be expected, since Matthew emphasizes the coming of the kingdom and thus the judgment that accompanies it. In the previous two parables, Jesus had been speaking of the judgment on those Israelites who were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. In the last parable of this discourse, Jesus focuses His attention on all the nations of the earth. When the Son of Man comes in His glory recalls the words of Daniel 7:13, 14, 27 and anticipates the future reign of Christ (Revelation 5:9, 10; 19:11–18; 20:4–6). Nations here means Gentiles. Sheep and goats were both clean animals according to the Levitical law; however, their natures are very different. Shepherds regularly herded their sheep and goats together, but there came a point when the two had to be separated. The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world indicates that this kingdom has always been God’s goal for humans. Three groups are referred to in verses 31–46: sheep, goats, and My brethren. At the very least, these “brethren” are believers in Jesus Christ. The NKJV Study Bible
Isaiah 58:7
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Ezekiel 18:7
If he has not oppressed anyone,
But has restored to the debtor his pledge;
Has robbed no one by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
Great Ocean of Love,
help us turn the tide toward global compassion.
Move through minds and hearts caught
in the choking seaweeds of
indifference and selfishness.
Wash out to sea discrimination and systemic racism,
ignorance, hatred and bigotry.
Let all of this dissolve in your vast waters
of transforming love.
Your indwelling presence is much stronger
than the moon’s energy urging the sea back and forth.
Inspire us to use our energy to overcome
what causes division and inequality among humankind.
Let us not lose heart.
Amen. Terry Hershey “Sabbath Moments”
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