Reflecting His Love
In Mathew 25:31–32, we encounter a powerful picture of Jesus’ return. He will come in glory, with all the angels, seated on His throne, and He will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. This scene is not just about a future event—it calls us to examine our lives today.
The shepherd imagery is significant. In biblical times, sheep and goats often grazed together, but they had different natures. Sheep followed their shepherd’s voice, trusting and depending on him. Goats, however, were more independent. Jesus uses this imagery to remind us that it’s not enough to appear good on the outside—what matters is whether we are following Him in our hearts.
As Jesus calls us to reflect His love, we must ask: are we living as his sheep, obedient to His voice and showing love to others as He has shown to us? Serving others, especially those in need, is a way to follow Jesus and honor Him. Our actions toward the least of these are ultimately acts of service to Jesus Himself.
Hold On to What’s True
Reading Scripture is vital to our intimacy with God. God’s Word is our weapon. It’s alive, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). And when we hide Scripture in our heart, it helps us battle with the forces of evil. We have an enemy, and the last thing he wants us to do is trust God and His Word.
Our spiritual enemy wants to keep us in a place of doubt and insecurity. But when we know who we are, we can confidently demolish every lie that distracts us. Just like Jesus did, we can use Scripture to remind ourselves of the truth and fight back against the devil’s schemes.
Think through some of the lies you’ve believed. Maybe it's "I'm a failure, I'll never do anything right," or "God doesn't care about me, it's why these bad things happen." It’s easier to entertain lies when we allow them to become a part of us.
But once you recognize the lies you’ve internalized, you’re halfway to victory. God gave us His Word so that we could ...