God created us with free will allowing us to choose Him with our whole heart, mind and spirit. His desire is for the love that He has for His creation be willingly given to Him. We love because He first loved us!
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
As soon as Adam and Eve fell God put His plan in place to offer salvation to the world through His Son, Jesus. Noah believed God and was obedient.
Genesis 6:5-8 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
The human race had become totally corrupt except for Noah. He alone had found mercy in God’s eyes and through His grace He allowed mankind to continue.
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The day of Jesus’ return will be ordinary with life going on as usual. We need to open our spirit to clearly hear the guidance of Holy Spirit who will get us safely through the trials and tribulations that will come.
Matthew 25:31-36When 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.’
Those who believe will go enter into His Kingdom. We are HIs hands and feet created for good works which He had planned for our us as believers. But for God’s intervention we would all be lost and without hope. God so loved His creation that He gave us Jesus and through Him Holy Spirit who will direct us and guide us into the will of God for our lives. Trust Him to do what we cannot. 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.
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. It describes the actions reflecting obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor—and thereby demonstrate love for God, as well. 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 (Revelations 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. 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;
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?
Ezekiel 18:16
Has not oppressed anyone,
Nor withheld a pledge,
Nor robbed by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
Matthew 16:27–28 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Every single one of us hurts and yearns, and longs to be seen and valued.
And compassion is alive and well when we give way to the “tender gravity of kindness.” Encounters with no stain of stingy or cruel or callous or shame.
Let us never underestimate the power of kindness.
This week? I want to try kindness and mercy and being present.
This week, “May I live this day compassionate of heart, clear in word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought, generous in love.” (Thank you John O’Donohue) Sabbath Moments
God's watchful eye never misses the details of our lives. Our heavenly Father is patient and ever-present as He notices every moment in our stories.
We can see this in today's scriptures, where we encounter the first lineage recorded in the Bible, tracing 10 generations from Adam to Noah. Throughout these generations, despite humankind's egregious sins from Eden onward, God never neglected to watch over His creation.
The careful documentation of human history, both good and bad, reveals a heavenly Father who is both holy and tender, patiently drawing near to humanity in love and care. For instance, Genesis 4:19-24 describes the boastful Lamech, a descendant of Cain who followed in his forefather's footsteps and committed murder (Genesis 4:23-24). Yet we see God's mercy as He allowed Lamech to live a full life and even have a family, with sons who worked as farmers, musicians and metalworkers. We also see the birth of Seth in Genesis 4:25, displaying God's redemptive nature as He comforted Adam and Eve after the loss of their other two sons: Cain (who was exiled) and Abel (who was killed by Cain). God remains committed to His children, even when we fall short. His patient presence is a gift we can accept, and we can also extend patience as we strive to love others the way He loves us. In fact, through Seth's descendants, our Savior would one day come (Luke 3:23-38).
In Seth's story, we can see the compassion and mercy of the God of second chances. God never abandoned the first family, though they were evicted from Eden. He drew close to comfort them in their pain and reestablish their family.From the very beginning, God has been deeply involved in humanity's story, working to restore what was lost. And through the precious blood of Jesus, the perfect appointed Son, God will redeem all of creation and everyone who trusts in Him once and for all. First5
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