Matthew 25:31-46

"There is a healthy tension in Scripture between deeds done for salvation and deeds done as evidence of salvation. It is clear that we cannot earn a righteous standing before a holy and perfect God, yet it is also clear that if we do not show evidence of a changed heart through our deeds of compassion, the reality of our salvation can be questioned." Ogden, 157

As a follower of Christ, this is something that I've been growing in my whole life. I moved from someone who never felt sure about his salvation because of my imperfections, to someone who was sure because I stopped looking at myself, and I started to trust in God's love and grace, to someone who now understands that putting our faith in Jesus doesn't just mean receiving from him, it also means following him.

As a pastor, this is something that I've been learning to explain over the last nearly 9 years. I began stressing God's grace and love, something I still do, but I'm recognizing that Jesus didn't call people to receive his grace and then not be changed. He said, "Follow me."

Jesus says to the goats, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Jesus isn't saying that if we do all these things we'll earn our salvation. He's saying that trusting him means following him. If we're not following him (which looks like all those things above) then likely we're not actually trusting and worshiping him as God, but we're worshiping something else.

Enough sermonizing...more confession: I let my comfort and worry keep me from pouring myself out in love often. But last night we in our discipleship group we took a minute to write down one thing we could do out of love for another. I nearly forgot it even though I wrote it down, but when I did it I could sense the Holy Spirit leading me. I think things don't change with a big resolve and a total transformation, but rather day by day, minute by minute obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Gotta keep my mind on the now, not the tomorrow.