In Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT) Jesus says, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Author’s comments: Who are the least of these? It can be a loved one, a neighbor, or a stranger. It can be you at any time of your life. The answer to the sheep or goat question is found in the action you take when faced with decisions that impact the Kingdom. If you’re following Jesus and acting like a sheep, then you’re a sheep. You are blessed. You can look forward to your impending destiny and truth, eternal life with God. In contrast, if you judge, condemn, ignore, denounce, or criticize those in need, then you might be a goat. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus, but act like a goat, then you might be a goat. It’s never too late to transform from goat to sheep. Truly following Jesus is a spiritual transformation of the heart, mind, and soul.
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