There is No Time Card For Your Faith

Over the course of my ministry, I've come to realize that my faith does not have a time card and it does not respect my comfort level. I've received calls at 10 at night and 3 am, and have gone to our counseled someone in dire circumstances, and even put my life at risk for the sake of a church member, someone who needs help, or other circumstances. I'm not saying this to sound impressive. Most of the time, I'm scared out of my mind! But I say this to let you know that it's not just ministers who have this calling. It wasn't just the apostles and prophets who gave their lives for Christ, but the church as whole has since the beginning. We aren't 9-5 Christians, or Sunday Morning and Wednesday Night followers, but the Lord calls us to be His Church every hour of every day.

I say this because many of us don't take the charges of Jesus seriously. He takes it seriously when we help the least of these, and he takes it seriously when we don't. He doesn't care for our "displays of righteousness," in fact, to many who say "didn't we perform miracles and prophecy in your name," He will say "I never knew you, away from me doers of lawlessness." It's not about being good and being bad, it's about being who we were designed to be. We were saved from death to life, saved from sin, not to continue as we did before putting on Christ, but to be like Him! There's not attendance record in heaven, there's not a list of good deeds and bad that will get you in or disqualify you from heaven; we are called to do good without even thinking about it or making a record of it. No, we're to live as Jesus did, giving ourselves up for our friends and our neighbors. Why? Because we love God, and we love others, not because it "gets us in good with the Big Guy." Love without expectation of return. Live Like Christ every day. Matthew 25:31-46 “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. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the 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 foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“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. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 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.’ 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?’ 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.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”