letsloveothers

Love, joy, peace, patience and kindness have been served in the series God’s Diet Food. This spiritual food— the fruit of the spirit is God’s divine personality and character traits that lives in believers. Today’s course is goodness— benevolence.

Goodness anticipates the cry of distress. Continually on high alert so it can run to the rescue of those imprisoned by the wickedness of this world. Comforting AND confronting these prisoners, so that God’s goodness shines forth in them and their lives.

Goodness is moral excellence, and its foundation is God’s code of conduct— His righteousness. God alone defines moral excellence. It is His Word— His heavenly treaty with earth’s inhabitants that establishes God’s standards and expectations.

DO GOOD

Sustaining from evil is only the beginning of goodness. You must be actively doing what the Lord’s Word tells you to do. Sacrificially loving others. Including those outside your circle of influence. Keeping His commandments.

Know this. Your obedience will require courage— strength because you will be ridiculed, ostracized or persecuted.

AUTHENTICITY

Your actions and heart must be in sync. Hypocrisy will not be tolerated. God knows everything about you, including your innermost secrets. You may be able to fool man, but the Lord is no one’s fool.

When you’re sitting in front of your computer in the middle of the night viewing pornography, God’s sitting right beside you. When you’re orchestrating the demise of a co-worker so that you can be recognized and promoted. God is listening to those behind closed doors conversations. When you’re making love to someone other than your spouse. God is watching. When you’re praising the name of the Lord in church but remaining silent outside of church. God hears your silence.

“When the Son of Man comes in all His majesty, accompanied by throngs of heavenly messengers. His throne will be wondrous. All the nations will assemble before Him, and He will judge them. Distinguishing them from one another as a shepherd isolates the sheep from the goats. He will put some— the sheep at His right hand and some— the goats at His left. Then the King will say to those to His right,

King: Come here you beloved. You people whom My Father has blessed. Claim your inheritance. The Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of creation. You shall be richly rewarded. For when I was hungry, you fed Me. And when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink. I was alone as a stranger, and you welcomed Me into your homes and into your lives. I was naked, and you gave Me clothes to wear. I was sick, and you tended to My needs. I was in prison, and you comforted Me.

Even then the righteous will not have achieved perfect understanding and will not recall these things.

Righteous: Master, when did we find You hungry and give You food? When did we find You thirsty and slake Your thirst? When did we find You a stranger and welcome You in, or find You naked and clothe You? When did we find You sick and nurse You to health? When did we visit You when You were in prison?

King: I tell you this. Whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold. Whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me.

At that He will turn to those on His left hand.

King: Get away from Me. You despised people whom My Father has cursed. Claim your inheritance— the pits of flaming hell where the devil and his minions suffer. For I was starving, and you left Me with no food. When I was dry and thirsty. You left Me to struggle with nothing to drink. When I was alone as a stranger. You turned away from Me. When I was pitifully naked. You left Me unclothed. When I was sick. You gave Me no care. When I was in prison. You did not comfort Me.

Unrighteous: Master, when did we see You hungry and thirsty? When did we see You friendless or homeless or excluded? When did we see You without clothes? When did we see You sick or in jail? When did we see You in distress and fail to respond?

King: I tell you this. Whenever you saw a brother hungry or cold; when you saw a sister weak and without friends; when you saw the least of these and ignored their suffering. So you ignored Me.

So these, the goats will go off to everlasting punishment. But the beloved, the sheep— the righteous will go into everlasting life.”

Heed God’s warning. Live a life where goodness is an intricate component of your spiritual DNA. The eternal consequences are monumental!

Matthew 25:31-46 (The Voice)

Thanks for listening to my voice! Feel free to like and share it with your friends.

Have a great day! Rita

 

Be the VOICE heard amidst the deafening sound of sameness!