Day Four Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” – Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)
Learn From the Word
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has told us that being one of His disciples ultimately comes down to the condition of our hearts. While many in Jesus’ day claimed to be His followers, it was always the condition of someone’s heart displayed in the fruit of their lives that proved someone as a true disciple or not. The same is true today! The people Jesus describes in these verses perform good works, but their hearts are never yielded to His lordship in their lives. To those whose hearts are far from Him, He says, “I never knew you.”
Put It Into Practice
Jesus wants us to beware of false prophets who perform good works that ultimately turn out to be bad fruit. But He also reminds us of the importance of continuing to examine our own hearts. Spend some time doing exactly that with Him now. Is your heart yielded to Jesus as Lord of your life? Do you know Him, and does He know you? Is that knowledge reflected in the good fruit of obedience to the Father? Make these verses in Philippians 3 your prayer today.
For Families with Kids at Home
When Jesus went to the cross, He took on every bad thing we’ve ever done and will ever do. When we place our trust in Jesus, we’re admitting that we can’t do enough good things to wipe away the bad things we’ve done. Only the sacrifice of Jesus was enough to make us good. So doing good things doesn’t make us good; knowing and trusting in Jesus makes us good. Jesus doesn’t simply want us to do good things and call it a day. Jesus wants to be our friend and have a relationship with us!
Ask your kids, “What are some examples of things that make a good friend?” Some examples might include spending time with that friend, talking to that friend often, telling that friend things you don’t share with others, etc. Help them see that these same qualities make Jesus a good friend, and encourage them that Jesus wants to be their friend!