Our Returning Friend

"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." - Jesus (Matthew 25:34)

The one all the nations shall stand before in the great judgment will not be an anonymous being out there, somewhere, but Jesus.

He is the one coming in glory with his angels. He will pronounce who is a "sheep" and who is a "goat". He will open his kingdom for those his Father blessed.

It is a good thing we have opportunity to, first, become his friend!

"What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer"¹

-fritz

^{1 - Hymn:"What a Friend We have In Jesus"
Text: Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886
Music: Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918
Tune: CONVERSE, Meter: 87.87 D}

Clueless (in a good way)

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee?"- Matthew 25:37-39

The "righteous" in Jesus' parable were clueless, in a good way.

They didn't think their actions were particularly noteworthy or good, they weren't keeping score of deeds done and to whom, they weren't even self aware; they were simply acting from a heart of Love, being who they were made to be.

The Apostle Paul put it this way,

"yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; ... he that judgeth me is the Lord." - 1st Corinthians 4:3b, 4a, 4c

It is time to put down the score card and just live for Christ.

- fritz

Prophets in Sackcloth Underwear

(Isa 20:2) At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

Most, reading this story about the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, focus on his naked three year walk as an object lesson of God's coming wrath. This time I noticed the sackcloth underwear.

Sackcloth, known to us as burlap, was a course, scratchy, and uncomfortable material not usually intended for underclothes - except in times of extreme mourning, repentance and crying out to God. Isaiah, that fiery prophet, had been wearing sackcloth!

True men and women of God, like Isaiah, pronounce judgments not in anger or hate but in love, always crying out to God for mercy and grace. Pharisees can't understand this, but Jesus did,

Mat 9:13 "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

-fritz