Matthew 7:23 (NIV®)
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
You spent five dollars – every week – for the last 10 years but it has finally paid off! Yep. That lottery ticket finally came through. You have all five numbers plus the multiplier and it is time to cash in. You asked for cash value. You are going to pay off your house note and the house notes for all your kids. You will pay off all your debt and buy that dream car you’ve always wanted. You might even buy a condo out of country since you can retire and travel whenever you want. You submit your ticket to the lottery commission and wait patiently for their response. You are so excited! It is only a matter of time!!!
The lottery representative returns. You can feel your blood pressure spiking from the anticipation. Then, those long awaited words… I am so sorry. This is a fraudulent ticket.
The disappointment of that moment would be indescribable. All of your plans! You already submitted your resignation from work! What are you going to do?!
This example might resemble the real life scenario Jesus outlined above but it still doesn’t come close to the real devastation. Can you even imagine? Maybe we should try.
Forget the initial “decision” you made about believing in God. Forget all the work you’ve done to live up to His standards. Forget all the times you attend church, how you volunteer at the local community shelter and donate to charity. All of those characteristics can be really good in a person’s life, but none of them will pay off without the legitimate ticket.
It’s the whole “knowledge” thing. Not only do we have to know Jesus, He has to know us. Think about it. Usually, when we meet someone, it is merely an acquaintance unless we spend extended time with them. In that process, we get to know them AND they get to know us.
So this week is an encouragement to make sure you know Jesus and are known by Him. Forget all the extra fluff. Do you know that you know that you know? Don’t be presumptuous. No one wants to be surprised, especially when we meet Jesus face to face.