Dear Family and Friends,

It happened to my father. And to my mother as well – to a lesser extent. Many of my uncles had it. One of my cousins got it at a young age. 

This marks the year I got it too. I knew it was coming but did nothing.

Sure, I once tried to stop it. But seeing no immediate results, I gave up.

Instead, I slid into denial, blinded by false hope that it would never happen to me…

What happened?

This is the year I went beyond a receding hair line. I’m going bald.

At first, I didn’t want to believe the signs. Like my haircuts being done in half the time. So was washing and brushing my hair.

But I’ve ended up proving once again that denial doesn’t work.

I imagine many of you are laughing by now. Please go ahead and laugh out loud. In between the tears, I am too.

On a more serious note, let me share something that we know with certainty is coming. And for some, it’s no laughing matter.

There will come a day when Jesus returns.

And I am hoping that rather than doing nothing, we are preparing for that day.

How do we best prepare for that day?

Jesus answered that question in the metaphor that follows the scariest passage in the Bible.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21 NIV

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ v.22

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  v.23

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  v.24

When read together, these verses have always bothered me.

On one hand, He says in verse 22 that the works one does mean nothing to Him.

Then Jesus turns around and suggests we hear His words and put them into practice.

What’s the difference? And how do we know if Jesus will see our works as a verse 22 or a verse 24? And besides, are we not saved by grace?

The difference can be found by answering this question: Deep down inside, what’s driving us to do the works we do?

There are many who “profess” to believing in Jesus. And show all the outward signs of being a follower.

But inside, their works are driven by a reason known only by themselves and God.

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'”  Isaiah 29:13 NIV

Rather than loving Jesus, and doing good works out of love for Him, their works are in reality acts of praise to their true god – themselves.

They are the ones who care deeply what others think of them. Sunday is ‘show time’ for them.

And going back to verse 23, because Jesus was not their true God, and they had no true relationship with Him – – Jesus called them evildoers, breakers of the first of ten commandments.

We will continue discussing verse 24 next time.

In love always,