307 Tuesday, November 3, 2009

307 Proverbs 16 – 18; Matthew 25.31 – 25.46

My prayer is that you will really take your time in the Proverbs, they can light up your life. A few words and a ton of input such as, "Moderation is better than muscle, self-control better then political power." If that doesn't grab you how about this one, "There's a way that looks harmless enough look again--it leads straight to hell." It was this verse that struck a chord with me over thirty-four years ago when Jim shared it with me before I became a Christian. Yes, God used not only the Gospel to lead me to Himself, but also one of His Proverbs. Here is the last one that I will point out, "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired." A great part of a cheerful disposition has to do with you following hard after God, and hanging with the right people. One more for the road, "Gracious speech is like clover honey--good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body." Wow--I guess the implication would be that we should be careful with our speech and watch who we are hanging around--they can take us up or bring us down!

This Matthew passage is one of the most scary passages in the Bible. Jesus comes back and arranges the nations before Him to separate the sheep from the goats--you do not want to be a goat--I repeat, you do not want to be a goat. What is the criteria for the separation--"I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me." The sheep ask, how did we do that to you? Jesus answered, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me."

Have a great weekend and be ready for Jesus!