Matthew 25

In chapter 25 there are three parables. In the story of the three virgins Jesus is telling us to get things ready for His coming. The arrival of Jesus is something we should be anticipating with joyful expectation - like a child expecting Santa.

We then see the story of the talents. We each have been given things to be good stewards of. Time, influence, and understanding are only a few. Are we playing it safe or trusting God to do great things? He will do great things as we trust Him to take us to the next level with Him.

In the story of the sheep and goats we look at the possibility of those we encounter on a daily basis being Jesus. The person out of gas, broken down on the road, at the cash register, or even pushing a shopping cart down the road. How we treat them determines whether we are a sheep or a goat. Jesus will say to us either:
'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me." (The Message)

How can we truly join the Lord? We will reap the rewards of the walk we were saved to have when we put legs to what He is asking us to do. We begin to truly understand how He works when we begin to exercise our faith. Just like physical exercise, start out slow and build confidence and strength. We each have the time to get ready for Him, the King is coming. Prepare the way for the King. When we intentionally make that a priority for each day is when we can truly get rid of the temporary things that only seem to matter and start doing the things that Jesus says matter. I encourage you to spend some time with the master in prayer over this passage, write down what He tells you then go and do that. You will begin a walk with Him that will be life-changing.