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| CHINESE VERSION OF JESUS AND THE RICH YOUNG MAN. Image from en.wikipedia.org via google.com |
"But many that are first will be last,
and the last will be first."
The Jews had the mentality that since they were the Chosen People they would automatically go to heaven. After all, it was to their forefathers that God has given the Promise, not to any one else.
Many of us, Christians, think also in that manner. Just because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we think that we already are saved, that is, assured of a place in the Father's house.
But even the Apostle Paul taught that we should keep on doing what is necessary in order to keep ourselves on the right track so that we ourselves might not fail after all the work of proclaiming the Gospel [1 Corinthians 9: 24-27].
For it is not being first in accordance with being called that is required but being the one to remain responding until the end. The Jews surely had the blessing of being the first to hear the Word of God but only a small percentage of them listened and became the foundation of the New Israel which is the Church.
There are more than a billion Christians in the world but how many truly follow the Lord Jesus Christ? How many fully conform to His Person? How many are His friends who love one another [John 13:34], wash each other's feet [John 13:14] and carry one another's burden [Galatians 6:2]?
How many of us, Christians numbering nearly 2 billion in the world, would surely go to heaven? Or would hundreds of millions of non-Christians enter heaven ahead of us because they had the so-called baptism of desire and had lived their lives in what could be considered as Christian way without them having a personal knowledge of the Lord just because we failed to do our mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth?
We, Christians, have been called first but we may not enter heaven ahead of others if we do not fulfill what we are commanded to do: love one another [John 13:34; 15: 12-17] and lead others who do not yet belong into the Fold for the Lord desires that there should be just one Fold and one Shepherd [John 10:16].
We must not take for granted the opportunity that we have been given by the Lord to be among those who will enter the kingdom ahead of others. For if we consider ourselves being important for having been redeemed and disregard our mission to the world we shall be merely deceiving ourselves [see Galatians 6:2].
Let us do our best to be among the first to enter heaven even if we have to be the last in many other things.
Many of us, Christians, think also in that manner. Just because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we think that we already are saved, that is, assured of a place in the Father's house.
But even the Apostle Paul taught that we should keep on doing what is necessary in order to keep ourselves on the right track so that we ourselves might not fail after all the work of proclaiming the Gospel [1 Corinthians 9: 24-27].
For it is not being first in accordance with being called that is required but being the one to remain responding until the end. The Jews surely had the blessing of being the first to hear the Word of God but only a small percentage of them listened and became the foundation of the New Israel which is the Church.
There are more than a billion Christians in the world but how many truly follow the Lord Jesus Christ? How many fully conform to His Person? How many are His friends who love one another [John 13:34], wash each other's feet [John 13:14] and carry one another's burden [Galatians 6:2]?
How many of us, Christians numbering nearly 2 billion in the world, would surely go to heaven? Or would hundreds of millions of non-Christians enter heaven ahead of us because they had the so-called baptism of desire and had lived their lives in what could be considered as Christian way without them having a personal knowledge of the Lord just because we failed to do our mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth?
We, Christians, have been called first but we may not enter heaven ahead of others if we do not fulfill what we are commanded to do: love one another [John 13:34; 15: 12-17] and lead others who do not yet belong into the Fold for the Lord desires that there should be just one Fold and one Shepherd [John 10:16].
We must not take for granted the opportunity that we have been given by the Lord to be among those who will enter the kingdom ahead of others. For if we consider ourselves being important for having been redeemed and disregard our mission to the world we shall be merely deceiving ourselves [see Galatians 6:2].
Let us do our best to be among the first to enter heaven even if we have to be the last in many other things.
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