New Testament Reading Plan: Revelation 1-3
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 25:41-46 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into
the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me
no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome
me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then
they also will answer, 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?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying,
‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (ESV)
Often we think of sin only in the terms of bad things that we do, yet there are sins of
omission. There are good things that we are supposed to do and if we don’t do them
then we are sinning. There is a judgement for the work that we do and do not do. When
we are so distracted by our selfish agenda that we don’t even see anyone that’s sick or
needing clothes then we know that we are in serious trouble. If we go to church and don’t
ever recognize that anyone has needs because all we live for is ourselves and our own
comfort then something is seriously wrong. In this passage of scripture Jesus is teaching
that helping others is a natural part of loving Jesus. We should be able to tell the difference
between believers and non believers by how they treat people. Are you indifferent toward
the hurting people around you? What is your attitude towards those who are less fortunate
than you? Do you find it easier to write a cheque to satisfy your conscience or are you
willing to get your hands dirty and get to know the less fortunate?
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Re-read the scripture passage for today. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you some
practical things that you can do to tangibly show love to the people around you.
2. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any other sins of omission – that is, things that you should
be doing that you are not doing. Confess these things as sin, and commit to following
through on what God has shown you.
3. Ask the Lord to root selfishness out of your life and grow generosity.
