Christ Church Daily Devotion Feb 28 2024

In today's Daily Devotion, the passage from Matthew 25:31-33 is discussed. It talks about how Jesus will separate people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The parables in this passage emphasize the importance of serving others with love and compassion. God sees the sincerity of our hearts and calls us to live a life of service. The devotion concludes with a prayer to God, asking for the strength and guidance to serve others as we serve Him. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for February 28, 2024. Today we will be reading from Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 31-33. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left. There was a television program in recent years called Undercover Boss. The head of the business would go well-disguised to work as a regular employee. He or she would observe both the difficulty of the tasks, as well as how the supervisors treated their employees and customers. At the conclusion of the time, the head of the company would bring in each supervisor and either reward them or ask for improvements. After six parables about living responsibly, as to be ready for the coming of the Son, Matthew brings these parables into the final dramatic scene. For Jesus, the present and the future aspects of kingdom life were not atypical. With Jesus' presence, the future had already broken into the present. The identity Jesus calls His disciples and followers to is to a life of service to others, not for the reward, but out of love for God and others. Jesus identifies these acts of service unto others who are hungry, thirsty, hospitality to the stranger, clothing for those in need, and visits with the sick and imprisoned. The ones who serve others with hearts of compassion Jesus calls sheep, and the ones who don't serve are called goats. There is a story that at a distance, if sheep have been sheared of their wool, they can look very much like goats. But up close, it is easy to tell the difference. Likewise, God is present in our lives up close. We can't fool God. God stays close enough to us to understand the honesty of our hearts as lived out in our service. This isn't a gotcha kind of God's presence, but a grace-filled call from God to live a life of sincerely seeking good for others. This call to service, to serve others, is life-giving. Self-care is healthy, but self-centeredness can be life-consuming. Rev. Edward P. Marquart tells the story of one of his church members who wanted it to be said at the conclusion of his life. You can tell them, folks, that I am a sheep and not a goat, Rev. Marquart said, and he truly was an old sheep. Today's personal worship option for you is, Dear God, through Jesus your Son, we hear your call to serve others. Sometimes this moves us beyond our comfort zone, gives us sincere and compassionate hearts, and help us by your Holy Spirit to serve. Remembering and serving others, we are serving you. Amen.