The Judge of What We Do and Fail to Do

Prayer-Soldier

The Judge of What We Do and Fail to Do

Scripture:

For thus said the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visits his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

I will feed my sheep: and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve, and I will feed them in judgment. And as for you, O my flocks, thus says the Lord God: Behold I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he goats.
(Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17)

But now Christ is risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep: For by a man came death: and by a man the resurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But every one in his own order: the first fruits, Christ: then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming. Afterwards the end: when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father: when he shall have brought to naught all principality and power and virtue. For he must reign, until he has put all his enemies under his feet. And the enemy, death, shall be destroyed last: For he has put all things under his feet. And whereas he said: And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then the Son also himself shall be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
( 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 )

And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, you blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.

Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed you: thirsty and gave you drink? Or when did we see you a stranger and took you in? Or naked and covered you? Or when did we see you sick or in prison and came to you?

And the king answering shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger and you took me not in: naked and you covered me not: sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
(Matthew 25:31-46)

Reflection:

We might wonder, what is the purpose of our lives? If we simply exist by accident, then, all which comes from us is accident. Our learning has no meaning for this generation or the generations to come, for as we came from dust, so shall we return to dust with our existence being but a minor ripple in time which shall go unnoticed, for the day will come where there shall be no one to remember.

Only if there is one who remembers do we have purpose, for what comes from us shall ripple through all who come after us and all who observe. Our purpose is determined by our Creator. Whether we live true to that purpose is determined by our choices in what we do and what we fail to do, but despite the power of our choice, we are not the judge of our deeds. Only the One who determined our purpose can judge what we have fulfilled.

It is the One who created life who is also the judge as to who may receive eternal life, for He is the One who determines if the life created has learned and accomplished the purpose for which it was created. As the created, then, it is prudent we should seek to discern our purpose and seek to achieve the purpose for which our Creator created us. If we are to be judged, we should seek to understand against what we shall be judged and the consequences of what we choose to do and what we choose not to do.

We are blessed with the ability to discern and learn. Each of us has different talents and abilities by which we engage and experience the world, not solely that we might obtain crowns or trophies, but so we might share of the gifts created within us; the gifts which determine who we are. Our talents and abilities have no meaning unless there is another who experiences them. The question is, shall their experience be one of blessing or woe?

We do not always recognize what comes of what we do or fail to do, for it is the one who sees and observes who perceives. A simple act of kindness may appear trivial in the moment, but to the one who receives, it may change a choice or enable them to enable another. A simple act of indifference is also perceived and may be an opportunity missed.

If we learn, if we pay attention, if we discern; we may see the opportunities before us. Each choice we make ripples through those who see, those who observe, and those who receive. If we understand what is right and just, then, we have the opportunity to share that which is right and just. The result of our choice, whether to act or not, will determine whether blessings are shared or withheld.

There will be those who will judge us, but the judge of whom we should have the most concern is the One who judges the place of our eternity. (John 5:21-30) We cannot buy our way into heaven through words or deeds, for our place was purchased for us from upon the cross. (John 3:14-21) Indeed, we are told that whosoever believes in the Son of God shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16), but what is the meaning of our belief in our Savior if our lives do not reflect what He teaches and we choose to live in opposition to the commandments of the Lord? (Matthew 7:21, John 5:28-29)

Blessed are we for His mercy. Blessed are we for His forgiveness of our sins. (Matthew 6:14-15, 9-6) Let us, then, approach Him with a contrite heart and give thanks to our eternal King; the King of kings and Lord of lords. (1 Timothy 6:13-16) Let us thank Him in prayer and by how we choose to live our lives.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways may we discern the purpose for which we were created?

In what ways might we prepare for His kingdom?

In what ways may we demonstrate our belief in Him?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier