Conviction

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

 "When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, '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.'
"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.'
 "Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'
"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

Reading these verses, and watching this video God has convicted me so much. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve been so sarcastic to people I’ve never met before in my life. I can’t tell you the number of hurtful ways I’ve cut people apart for no reason whatsoever. I don’t know who I need to apologize to, but I’m going to apologize to whoever I need to. From this day on, I will be searching for the hungry, the thirsty, the broken, those in need of love.


As a Christian, my testimony is more than a paragraph about the steps that brought me to accepting Christ into my life- it’s how I live my life. It is my duty to love everyone unconditionally, no matter the cost. I don’t get to focus on my dreams or desires. I don’t live in a city where people sit on street corners begging for food. I do live in one of the most impoverished counties in New York. I cross paths with people who have to choose between buying fuel to heat their homes and food to feed their children. I have so many blessings in my life and so many ways that I can use them to bless others. I pray God can bring opportunities to love unconditionally.