DON'T COUNT ON IT!

The Old Testament Jews trusted in their Temple as a talisman that would always protect them from harm - even if they strayed from God's commandments. The Lord would always keep guard over His Temple.
But the prophet Jeremiah warned them: "Don't count on the Temple! If you don't change your ways and start giving justice to the foreigners, orphans and widows in your midst, if you keep on shedding innocent blood by sacrificing babies to Baal, stealing, committing murder and adultery, and think that the Temple will protect you, DON'T COUNT ON IT!"

In today's context we could say - DON'T COUNT ON YOUR CHURCHGOING! Don't count on your baptism or taking communion once or twice a year, don't count on your Bible reading or studying the Church Fathers, your knowledge of doctrines inside and out and backwards and forwards. "What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

And yet, I find myself patting my back, thinking - "What a good guy I am! I go to church every Sunday, I read the Bible and say my prayers often during the day, I even memorize lots of Bible texts! And I do my little thing of volunteer work for the poor once a week or so!"

But what about those thousands of fighters killing each other and civilians being killed in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere? What are we actually doing to stop this carnage and destruction? Or do we just passively swallow the propaganda our respective governments and media pump out to justify this murder and mayhem?

What about the discrimination and outright persecution of Christians in the former USSR, China, Vietnam, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Libya, Egypt and the Middle East? What can we DO about all these atrocities?

Yes, the problems of the world are overwhelming, and it's easy to simply sigh and say - "It's just too much! I can't do everything!" But we can do something: it doesn't give us an excuse to do nothing.

We can start with the persons next door, or across the street who are poor, or disabled, or elderly and can't take care of themselves. We can mow their lawn, or shovel their snow, or fix their broken-down front porch. We can help the unemployed improve their skills and find jobs. These are all practical, down-to-earth ways we can care for "the poor, the lame, the maimed and the blind."

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will tell those on his right hand, "Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me."

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?"

The King will answer them, "Most assuredly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers you did it to me."

Then he will say also to those on the left hand, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me."

Then they will also answer, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?"
And he will answer them, saying, "Most assuredly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me."

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
(Mat. 25:31-46)

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON: THE RIGHT, OR THE LEFT?

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 10 Oct. 2015.)