This is a new day… a day for us all to reflect on what we are doing in our lives. Not in terms of whether we work everyday or how much time we spend with friends/family but really reflect on whether or not we are working toward our true purpose. Last night during Bible study, my Pastor (Pastor Clifton E. Lewis, Mount Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, Ruston Louisiana) raised this question: “Are you worth it?” Hmmm… what exactly does that mean? Well… each morning, God wakes us up. Every couple of seconds, He allows breath to enter our bodies and our heart to continue its rhythmic beat. No matter how ‘bad’ we think things have gotten in our lives, we are still living, which is a blessing in itself that we seldom stop to think about.
The most important question is: ARE WE WORTH IT? Is God getting anything back from the substantial investment He has made in us? Or, is He wasting good sense and a reasonable portion of good health on us? What are we doing with what the Lord has given us? These are questions that we all need to use as an outline to evaluate our worth and importance to His Kingdom. With things as they are in your life right now at this very moment, are you on the left with the goats, or are you on the right with the sheep? As the Lord pointed out in Matthew 25, HELL was never intended for us, but was prepared for Satan and his angels. By our own actions, we decide whether or not we will join him there.
Much of this post is taken from my own enlightenment provided through my own Pastor, but I do feel led to share this last point: Jesus did not teach us that we are to minister to the needs of the righteous, or even to the ‘good’… He never suggested that we should only give to those whom we consider to be worthy of our gifts. In fact, contrarily, He told us the exact opposite- we are in NO position to make that determination because we have NOT been given the authority to judge our brother, sister, neighbor, etc. Every power that we have been given was given to us by the authority of God. He has not delegated authority… only the power we have through our ability to call on the name of Jesus by which all things are made possible according to our faith.
When we find ourselves at the foot of the throne, we will not be judged according to how many Sundays we attended the morning service or sang in the church choir. We will not be asked how many times we cried out, “Lord, Lord!” or how expensive the garments were that we wore into His temple. We will not be questioned as to our deeds that were seen by men, but rather we will be judged according to the things we did in the NAME OF JESUS… the things we did in private that men could not see… the things we did FOR HIM, not for worldly recognition. We will not be judged by how popular we are in the eyes of the Christian community. These are the things that are valued by hypocrites.
We WILL be asked the following on judgment day: When I was hungry, did you feed me? When I was thirsty, did you give me something to drink? When I was a stranger, did you invite me in? When I was naked, did you clothe me? When I was sick, did you care for me? When I was in prison, did you visit me? The Lord has made it abundantly clear that whatever you have done for the least of His brothers, you have done for Him. Think about that… what have we done for Christ by the actions we have displayed to our brothers in Him? Are we truly using the best of our ability to reach our purpose? Are you worth the investment He placed within you? Or have you wasted it? Evaluate your life, and make a commitment to God today, because tomorrow could be your day of judgment. How would you measure up?
* Written by Kathleen Robertson March 14, 2007
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