God Speaks
Jesus Tells Parables: Ten Virgins, Bags of Gold and Sheep and Goat Nations
Verse of the Day: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did [or didn’t do] for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did [ordidn’t do] for me.‘ . . . [To the righteous who do these things, the King will say,] ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’ [Those who do not do them will] go away to eternnal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (A compilation of Matthew 25:34, 40, 45 and 46 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 25:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God expects people (especially leaders) to properly prepare to wait, to wisely use the resources He supplies, and to diligently serve other people (especially those in need). He will hold both individuals and nations (whole people groups) accountable.
2. People often don’t plan ahead, only look out for their own interests and are not compassionate and alert to meeting the needs of others less fortunate than themselves.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 25?
Thank You, Father God, for how you instruct Your children, Your people. In this chapter You taught about preparedness, stewardship, and charity. Since they had anticipated a long wait and had brought extra oil for their lamps, the five wise young women were able to greet the bridegroom and go with him to the banquet. The five foolish young women had not prepared and were therefore left out. You call Your servants to highly respect and diligently serve You as the two wise servants who were given 5 talents and 2 talents [1 talent = 20 years pay for the average worker]; however, the servant given one talent was terrified, disrespectful, and selfish in burying that with which he had been entrusted. He rightfully incurred his master’s wrath. You also hold nations (whole people groups) accountable for how they treat their people. You expect nations (people groups) to work together to use the resources You give them for the benefit of their people who need help, not just the elites. Properly serving other people is actually serving You. You will severely punish those who refuse to serve others. We are disrespecting, dishonoring, and rejecting You whenever we reject, disrespect, or refuse to help other people. Please help me to be wise not foolish. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 25? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will take at least 4 hours on _______ (a specific day/date) to devise a plan to build margins into various aspects of my life: finances, time management, exercise/rest, relationships, commitments, etc. Then I will ask God for the courage and strength to carry it out.
- I will spend at least 15 minutes praising God for who He is, showing Him proper respect.
- I will spend at least 2 hours serving people in one of the ways mentioned in this chapter. One example is to work at Feed My Starving Children or at a local food pantry.
- I will talk with the Lord about the resources, gifts, and abilities He has given me and how He wants me to use them for the sake of the kingdom. Investing? Giving? Serving?
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.