The Goats

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

THE GOATS

Matt 25:41-46

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 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, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

NIV

We look at Jesus coming in all his glory and we considered being the sheep and how that implied that we would feed his sheep, serving in the capacity of helping others fed upon spiritual food. Now we come to those who have been put on his left, this is not a place of honor for it is a place of condemnation. These people did nothing to advance the kingdom of God, in fact, they may well have done things in an effort to hurt the kingdom of God. These are people who refused to see Jesus as the Son of God and as the Savior of the world. Their thinking has become futile and perverse. They may do some humanitarian works, but it is for the glory of men, and the praise of men. They have no intention of giving God any of the credit for their deeds. In fact, they are rather selfish in their lives, looking to satisfy their own desires, goals, ambitions, and work for self-gratification, self-aggrandizement, and self-advancement. Their reward is not actually a reward as Paul makes is clear in his letter to the Romans:

Rom 2:6-8

6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."   7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

NIV

We can see those who are self-seeking and reject the truth and follow evil there is nothing by wrath and anger and that is not a reward, but punishment and they will experience this eternal punishment, whatever that looks like. We, however, will go to eternal life, whatever that looks like. Yet, nobody knows for sure what either will be like, but we know one thing for sure, we do not want anything but eternal life. The goats are headed for eternal punishment.