December 24th 2012, Christmas Eve

Blessings to all. I'm getting ready to light a fire in my fire place. I had to go outside, get the wood, carry it in the house, clean out some of the ashes that had accumulated in the fire place, place the wood in the fire place and now finally I can light it. It will take about 15 minutes before it gets good and hot so I can enjoy the warmth.

Last night I talked about how Christians sometimes wait for a feeling before they act on love.  Stop waiting to feel like a loving person, just start loving.  What do I mean just start loving.  

Waiting till you feel like a loving person before you love someone is like sitting in front of a fire place trying to get warm except the fireplace has no wood and is not lit. You could sit there all winter and never get warm.

Jesus told his disciples, "If you love me, you will obey my commandments."  He didn't say if you love me, you will get a warm fuzzy feeling inside!"

What were His commandments?  Love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and to love others as much as we love ourselves.  But loving always consists of doing something.

Jesus told us when we were loving Him in Matthew.

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes^(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.^(B) 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate^(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^(D) 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom^(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.^(F) 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,^(G) 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,^(H) I was sick and you looked after me,^(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’^(J)

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’^(K)

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,^(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire^(M)prepared for the devil and his angels.^(N) 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’^(O)

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.^(P)”^(Q)

 

^{You have to stoke the fire before the feeling of warmth will come.} Go get some wood and build yourself a nice fire then.

^{Merry Christmas!   Love, Kent}