“I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12).
“I’ve gone to church my whole life, so there’s nothing to worry about.” In contrast, “Those heathens who have that devil religion, they are all going to hell.” Those who follow Jesus are saved by grace through faith. You do not know what anyone else truly believes, so focus on what the Lord is telling you. There are, in the end, only two positions, pretending you are a god, or standing in the love of God in Christ.
You know I want to believe, Lord, that I am a true follower, but You know the number of times I fail and set myself up as the center of everything. Lord, I too often act in the way of the authorities of this world. Sometimes, I’ve received horrific lessons from the so-called religious people around me. Guide me, Lord, to look to You alone for guidance. You have revealed truth and You have called me to look to You alone.
Lord Jesus, You are not being mean, nor angry when You tell us the truth. You are just telling us the truth. Guide me in the way of living the life You have given me so that I go as You lead to be rid of the constant desire to be the center. I am not. You are! You need to go deep in me and rid me of all this hellish thinking so that I walk as a lamb of Your own redeeming. Guide me by the Holy Spirit to walk with You alone. Amen.
