Weekly Message
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. (Matthew 25:37-40)
I believe that our salvation is secured when we truly accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Basically, security is based on the grace of God and the fact that eternal life is a gift and it is eternal. However it is also important to realize that even though we will not lose our salvation, our works will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. In essence, we are "not" saved by works, but works are still important to the Christian walk.
Jesus states in previous verses that He will separate obedient followers, from pretenders, based on their faithful service. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God's Kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful. What we do for our fellow man/woman, demonstrates what we really think about Jesus. How can we say that we Love Jesus and treat others badly!
So therein lies the question. What have you done for others? Have you given food to the hungry? Or do you take the attitude, "I got mine, let them get theirs?" Did you help clothe someone in need? Or did you talk about their shabby clothes when you saw them in church? Do you visit those who are sick or who are in jail?
Jesus is watching what we do, as well as what we "don't" do. And one day He will let us know how well we did. He will reward us accordingly. If you are faithful in working for the Kingdom by ministering to others, keep it up! However, if you are not doing anything, get going as soon as possible. One of these days the question will be asked as you stand before the Lord, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" How sad it would be if you had to say, "nothing!"