Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. English Standard Version (ESV)
As we come towards the end of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 7, Jesus has some sobering words for His hearers and for us. He is not looking for casual acquaintances, those that would say "I know Him" but make no effort to follow or truly get to know Him. He puts it right on the line.
In politics today, you have probably heard reference to the term "RINO's" which stands for Republicans in name only. It is given to politicians that are registered and claim to be republican but whose actions and voting record are far from the core of the party platform. The casual acquaintances of Jesus that I mentioned above would be in a similar category, Christians in name only. Jesus strongly speaks out against them saying that on that final day He will have a word for them "depart from me" or as The Message puts it "you missed the boat, you're out of here".
He's not interested in charisma, but character (The Message). If we are to be true followers, we will want to get to know Him better day by day, accept His teachings, His calling in our lives, and follow in obedience. I'm reminded of a John Denver song, "Follow Me". I think it shows what Jesus is looking for.
Follow me where I go what I do and who I know
Make it part of you to be a part of me
Follow me up and down all the way and all around
Take my hand and say you'll follow me
You see I'd like to share my life with you
And show you things I've seen
Places that I'm going to places where I've been
To have you there beside me and never be alone
And all the time that you're with me
We will be at home
We can feel at home with Him now, and be with Him at home for eternity.
In Christ,
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Matthew 7:20-23
The Message (MSG)
15-20 "Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
21-23 "Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance—isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'
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