PRAY: Lord, I want to be a blessing to someone today. Show me where the need is.
Saturday – Day 18
Approaching God – Look forward in faith to that great and glory-filled day when Jesus returns. As you read these words several times allow yourself to be awed by the glory and splendor of Jesus Christ.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31)
Listening to God – This picture of glory continues in Matthew: “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Matthew 25:32-36
The righteous, called by God, minister in Jesus’s name consciously and unconsciously. A heart filled with the love of Jesus overflows with compassion and care for those still apart from Jesus. As you read Matthew 25:31-36, let your own life story slide by like a picture show. Do you see care and compassion overflowing to all? Does Jesus in you come into clear focus? Do you see Jesus in your acts of kindness to the lost?
Talking to God – Ask God to make you more aware of the acts of kindness and compassion that you might share with others. How might God bless your three people through you today?
Ministering in God’s Name – It does not take much to make someone’s day. As you live for Jesus today provide simple things like a smile, a “Hello,” an open door, a prayer for someone else, a card or note slipped into the hand of a neighbor, a Facebook friend’s birthday greeting.
Surrendering to God – Recognize the gifts of mercy and grace you have been given by God through Jesus. Give the time of your life as a gift to your three people today, giving them the seed of the gospel so that they might “glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2: 12).
By Evan Heerema
