Why Did You Do What You Did? (June 2)

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.

The Lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.
                           From Proverbs 19-20 NIV

Matthew 25:40-46 restates our first above verse nicely where Jesus says in verse 40, "The king will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me.' Jesus goes on to describe the contrast of eternal life for the righteous and eternal punishment for the others.  What a stark contrast.

Our second verse today explains that the Lord is smarter than we are, for he 'knows our motives.'  The heart is such a mysterious place and even the very wise, mature, experienced individual cannot be entirely certain of the heart's motives.  We have original sin, life's darkness, and other distractions in this world that color, distort, or influence our perception of our heart's content, desire, or motive.

In contrast to our perception, God can clearly see what is in our heart and what role He has in our life.  One might get clues to what God's role is in a life by looking at: how time is spent: Bible study, prayer, small group activities, or attending worship;  how talents are spent: mission activities, serving others, feeding the poor, helping the homeless, prison ministry, or visitng the ill; how treasure is spent: by cheerful giving to church, ministries, or other organizations. 

Even if one has many 'positive clues' from the above checklist,  we still need to look to Christ's work on the cross and God's grace for our salvation.  The heart is such an unclear, murky, hidden place to us that we really do not know if there is another reason besides a joyful response to what God has done for us.  On the other hand, God does know our hearts perfectly, and despite that clear knowledge, loves us to death...the death of His Son, on the cross to forgive us  our sins and to make us righteous.

What activites hold the most importance in your life?

How can others discern you are a Christian from your actions?

Are there any activites in your life that would lead others to discern you are not a Christian? (Carefully examine yourself)

What action will you take as a result of the above?

Pray to be a light as you cross over from wandering to commissioned.

In Christ,

David P