Matthew 7:21-23
“Knowing the correct
password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you
anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my
Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting
up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the
demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you
know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use
me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re
out of here.’”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Think of how many times has
someone mentioned a name to you, and you said, “Oh, I know that
person…he/she goes to my church!” Because you attend worship services
with this person, many conclusions are immediately drawn. Often,
assumptions are made about someone based on whether he/she attends
church – or based on which church is attended! Sadly, we often
categorize and/or judge people based on their church affiliation. This
one is surely very spiritual because he goes to ABC church. That one
must be headed down the wrong path, because she practices XYZ religion!
And
let’s be honest…on some level, we claim some “street cred” because of
our religious and denominational affiliation. We like to think that
people look at us and say, “Oh, he/she is a good Christian. I see them
at the church all the time. They come to my Bible study…and they have a
cross or church sign in their yard!”
Let’s get real. There are
some pretty awful people hiding behind crosses, church memberships, and
cheap talk about the LORD and how He has blessed their lives. And when
they stand before God, He is very likely to tell them, “You missed the
boat.”
Thankfully, there are people who are genuine
disciples for Christ. They walk the walk and talk the talk…and God
takes notice. Generally, these people are not concerned with making
themselves seem important or impressing anyone – even God. They do not
attend church to make business connections or improve traffic to their
workplace. They do not associate only with those who share their
denomination – or a pew. They are too busy seeking God’s will and
listening for His voice…doing what He has commissioned them to do…and
serving Him with humility, modesty and gratitude.
I am not
criticizing yard signs, crosses, or other outward expressions of our
faith…and I would never suggest that you remove them or stop sharing
scripture verses or quotes from fellow Christians with others in venues
such as social media or via greeting cards. But I suggest that we all
take a good hard look at our intentions…and how we serve and represent
God. Are our motives pure and sincere – and completely focused on
Jesus? Or do we have even a smidgen of a hidden agenda?
When we
stand before God and account for how we represented Him, what will He
have to say? Will we hear, “Well done!”…or will He say, “You don’t
impress me one bit!”? None of us wants to miss the boat on this. This
is the day to start getting it right…to examine our hearts and make sure
that we are serving humbly and honorably. How do you think you are
doing?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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