Author: Maia Young
Reading: Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’
I am in an unfortunate situation that many of you might relate to. Please pray for me, as my family, including my husband, has stepped away from the faith. Not to the point of being an atheist, but being lukewarm in their faith. I attend church alone, even though on Wednesday I am able to take my granddaughter to Wednesday school, which I am incredibly grateful for.
It’s a tough spot for me because I invite them to church, send them Bible verses, and pray – not just “sending good energy or magical prayers”, but to get them to church, but it is not enough. They let me know they all donate a percentage of their money to a non-profit, but works and church, and rites and rituals are not enough.
Jesus is saying here to have a personal relationship with him. Because through him, we will have a personal relationship with God and the Holy Spirit.
Verse 21 states not all who call my name will be saved - meaning, you have to have faith that Jesus and God will handle your problems. They will send the Holy Spirit to bring you peace. The perfect peace Jesus has as he is the Prince of Peace.
Verse 22: When it’s time to show your book of life, you, like me, might say, “But God, I clothed the poor, fed the hungry, visited the sick and took them communion, comforted the widow and orphan, and paid respect to the dead.” But the question becomes, did you spend time with God doing all those works? Sometimes even a great magician, as seen in Pharaoh's men, can perform miracles. It’s great to go out and do God's work, to go and make disciples of men, and to live like Jesus - but do you pay attention to what God wants? A humble and contrite heart?
Verse 23: Don’t be so quick to trust in your own spiritual achievement, but to be a servant to others and live in the Grace of Christ. I was at a Bible study last night, and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. This is for me, a personal thing. I wanted to study the book we read, but the ladies at my table wanted to talk about the goings on in the world and the church. So I opened my study book and started answering the questions put out by our leader. I wasn’t bothering anyone, I was just doing my own thing, minding my own business.
One of the ladies at the table saw me and apologized. Later on that night I was praying on that moment - and the still small voice told me “my child, just because your plans FOR YOU don’t go YOUR way doesn't mean they are wrong and you do your own thing, sometimes we need to sacrifice what we want to give to others and to live like Jesus. Maybe those ladies needed the night to vent and talk about concerns in the world and their church.
Prayer
Dear God, our master of the Universe, please let us remember to put you first. Not just working through you and doing good works, hitting the pavement and doing our routines for you, but to put you first, to come to you with all things, and build on that relationship with you. In Your sweet name, Amen.