“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'”
~ Matthew 7:21-23
These words from the lips of our Lord are both challenging (maybe even a little scary) and comforting. Jesus is not making our “salvation” a matter of earning anything by meritorious works of law. In fact, He is actually removing salvation from the realm of simply being religious and doing a lot of religious things—even seemingly miraculous things—and thrusting it into the realm of having a personal relationship with Him. Who are those who will enter the eternal kingdom of heaven? They are those who are known, personally, by Jesus because their hearts and lives are surrendered to the will of their Heavenly Father.
These words help me understand that simply showing up at church or even being involved in all sorts of church related “spiritual” activities, is NOT what Jesus is ultimately looking for. People can be involved in all kinds of “religious” activities simply because it pleases T HEM, without much thought as to what pleases HIM. People can even be seen as spiritual leaders but be doing it with ulterior motives. It’s what makes them feel good, or what benefits them in some way.
But Jesus’ words are reassuring for those who have surrendered their hearts and lives to Him; those who are truly seeking their Father’s will, not their own, and who want to live in accordance with His word, not just their own desires. They are known by Him and that they will be acknowledged as belonging to Him on that great and final day!
~ Phil