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Hear the devotional narrated here: https://bit.ly/32KHaUY
31 "When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. 32 Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, 33 putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. 35 And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, 36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? 38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' 39 40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.' 41 "Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. 42 And why? Because - I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.' 44 "Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' 45 "He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me - you failed to do it to me.' 46 "Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward." (Matthew 25:31-46 The Message)
Happy Monday, dear ConCafe Family! And a special greeting to you, dear Reader! I pray the rich blessings of God be with you as you spend time with Him and His word. As we pray, I ask for prayers for a cousin, Gina Zapata, who they've discovered has cancer. Surgery has removed most of it, but chemotherapy follows to fully conquer the cancer. Prayers for her mom and dad, Ester and Raul.
This coming Sunday, the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, we as believers affirm that Jesus is King. Remember, you and I are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, and temporary residents of whatever country you live in. And as such, we should live a life beyond the realm of this one; it takes a special understanding of that realm for all to understand how we live (If we are indeed following Jesus) a life that is way beyond the expected and justified selfish ways that we see so many embracing; ours is a life called and set apart by God to live an exemplary life of service and compassion, and as our King, He can expect of us this type of living. If we truly live this way, we will shock and maybe even offend others; but this should not deter us from living in this higher way.
Jesus says that when He, as King returns, there will be a judgment of all nations; and the judgment will be like the separation of sheep and goats; sheep on the right, and goats to the left. To those who have lived like lambs, the King will say to them, "Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:" We stop to reflect on what's already been shared. There's a place, and it's a special place that has been made ready for us, even before the foundation of the world, and we are to be invited in because we have been faithful to God in our daily lives. We, who have been faithful, will be seen as sheep, purified and cleansed, with no blemish on us, and we will be gathered with like-minded believers, to live together in the presence of each other, and more importantly, in the presence of God. And the King explains why:
The king says, he found himself, like so many around us, yes, even today, hungry. I don't know why so many Americans do not believe there is hunger among us. Many believe that the poor have food stamps; sadly, there are some who do not know or want, to apply for that kind of assistance. And there are so many children, through no fault of their own, go to bed hungry. As a father and a grandfather, I would do whatever it takes to make sure my children and grandchildren had something to eat. I would work extra hours, if I were blessed with a job, and if I didn't have a job, I would search for one; but I would not want my children, or any children to go to sleep with hunger. And I know you are the same way. The King said, "I was hungry, and you fed me."
Likewise, the King will say, "I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me."
What? You? Surely not! You, the King? The King of Kings? And unlike many ancient and modern rulers, He speaks of the poor and the oppressed; "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me." Wow.
The opposite side, the goats, is sent to the other place for ignoring and not sharing with the King the basics of food, water, hosptiality, housing, compassion, and visits. We should know that to ignore the overlooked and ignored, was to ignore Him, the King. No bueno. In fact, that is quite an embarrassment, not only to the guilty, but a heart-breaking moment to the King. And to God, the Father.
You and I are children of the King and as such have a much higher calling to decency, compassion, love, and outreach than those who have not yet accepted citizenship in God's Kingdom. We chastise not, but encourage, with our actions, that we are indeed subjects of the King by living and giving.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, to You we bow our hearts in adoration and worship, asking that our hearts be filled with the love we need to truly help those Whom you will send our way. Elevate our minds and spirits to be truly caring and loving people. We seek to be truly citizens of Your Kingdom, but servants and subjects of the King. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Bless someone with your acts of caring and kindness.
Receive my blessings of joy and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
