21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Matthew 7:21-22 (NASB)
What a message!
From the above verses, Jesus is more concerned on how we walk with Him than just our talk.
The point here it is not just believing in the word that the Father through Jesus our Lord, is telling us to believe, but also doing what the Father through His Son is telling us to believe.
- We must abide in Jesus.
- We must stop misleading others with our Christian words.
- We must stop pretending that we are Christians when actually our lives indicate otherwise.
As Christians, we should live our lives based in God’s guidance; because abiding in Jesus means being obedient to His teachings, and obeying His teachings, it is actually doing God’s will.
In Matthew 17:5, Scripture tells us that while He (Jesus) was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
So it is clear to me that throughout the Bible, God the Father, from the time He created mankind, insisted on telling us how we should obey His law; not to show off His supremacy before humanity, but to guide us to the right path and show us how our lives should be lived. Why? Out of love for mankind…
God always wanted the best for us; He wants us to depart from our sinful lives and chose to do right before Him, for our own sake.
Just as it is written in the book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NRSVCE); “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Our God is a loving Father. There is no sin that He can’t forgive if repented wholeheartedly.
So return to the Lord our God with all your heart. Stop your evil minded ways and come to the Father.
Many may ask, “Why strive in doing good before God if I am already saved by grace when I believed in Jesus? It’s true, but are you living what you believed?”
So let’s instead seek to please our Father through praise and thanksgiving and always do our best to avoid neglecting those who need help from us.
In the book of Hebrews 13:15-16 (NRSVCE) for example, Paul tells us that we should spend our times praising God and helping others with more need than us, instead of just complaining in everything around us, when it says; “Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
Prayer:
Merciful and Companionate God, in Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 32:8; You said:
[5] Trust in Me with all your heart, and depend not on your own understanding.
[6] Seek My Will in everything you do, and I will show you which path to take.
[8] I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Today, I thank You Lord, for leading and guiding me.
Please keep me from evil, and guide me along the path of life. The path of those on whom You have bestowed your blessings. In Jesus Holy Name I pray, Amen.
