Depart from Me!

That is a terrifying pronouncement that I pray that no one will hear, but there will be many of them because Jesus said that there would be.

“21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’  Matt. 7:21-23

Have you done anything in Jesus’ name or for His Kingdom? Have you given your life and heart to Him for your salvation? Today is the very day of salvation, do not wait because you do not know whether you will have tomorrow or the next day in which to do this. God loves each of us yet He knows which of us will give our hearts to Him and which of us will not. Make sure when you feel the calling of the Holy Spirit, don’t turn away and ignore it because you may not get another chance to repent and learn to walk with Him.

My life has been given to me to preach the gospel and if I don’t, then I will be responsible for those who could’ve heard it and did not. Jesus is enough for each of us because He is our Savior and King. We have all that we need in Him because of His riches in glory, no matter our position in life on this Earth. God knows our needs and He will provide those for us as we need them. Luxuries and “wants” do not fall into the need category.

Does it take a highly religious person to serve God? What about a person who doesn’t know Jesus, can they serve Him? Both of them can serve a purpose in His plans and His dealings with others but unless they are saved by their knowledge and their acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior, they will not actually benefit from their service in eternity. Even the king of Egypt was useful to God while He was liberating the Israelites from slavery because He used him to turn down Moses’ requests so that He could bring down the gods of Egypt in the process.

Yes, God can use many people and even animals in His purposes, such as the donkey in the story of Balim and for Jonah to be swallowed by a great fish. The donkey carried our Lord’s mother to Bethlehem and carried Him into Jerusalem on the day of His triumphant entry prior to His crucifixion. Anyone can be used by God for His purposes but it is our job to accept His call and follow His lead in life so others will see Him through us.