The Difference
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He
will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations,
and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats." Matthew 25:31-32
Do you know who you are?
Maybe not. To the government you are a Social Security number. In your family
you play different roles, to your boss and business you're an asset or a
liability.
Most of us wear many hats.
That was certainly the situation around the year 1910. According to the story
given me, a man was waiting for the New York subway when he was bumped and found
himself falling onto the rails. His death was prevented only by the quick grasp
of another passenger.
The calendar advances four years. It's now 1914 and the passenger who was saved
has been rightly arrested and convicted for a capital offense. Even so, his
demeanor throughout the trial could be described as being nothing less than
blasé.
His cavalier attitude was the result of him having recognized the judge. It was
the same man who had saved him at the subway. All of the lawbreaker's bravado
evaporated when the convicted heard the judge give him the maximum sentence.
"But judge", the man said, "don't you remember me? I'm the man you saved at the
subway."
With some sadness, the judge replied, "I do remember you, and I remember how I
saved you that day. But what have I saved you for? So you could go on sinning,
stealing and murdering? Yes, I remember and I'm sorry the action was wasted. At
any rate," the judge continued, "that day I was your savior; today I am your
judge."
Recently I have encountered a whole group of people who maintain a loving Lord
would never, ever send someone to hell.
Now it is true God doesn't want anyone to go to hell, and He has provided a way
to make sure everyone can avoid that nasty place, even so that doesn't mean we
can ignore the fact that salvation is completely dependent upon our believing on
God's Son as our Savior.
And that means believing while He is our Savior and not our Judge.
Now, of course, you know that, but maybe you know somebody who could afford to
hear that Bible-based truth once again. If so, why not forward this devo to
them.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for my salvation won upon Calvary's cross, I am indebted
to You. May I embrace and ever hold fast to my Savior. But I also pray for the
many who think they can rewrite the plan of salvation. May they remember that
Jesus the Savior is also Jesus the Judge. In His Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries http://www.lhm.org/
all rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.