Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father.
Here is a reality check Beloved. A piece of hard, cold fact coming directly from Your lips. No matter how eloquently we write or speak or how powerful our prayers for healing and miracles, none of it means anything if we are not obedient. The Father says, "This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him." You say that only one who does the will of Your Father can enter the Kingdom. Your will and the Father's will are one. In obeying You, we obey the Father and vice versa. In this alone lies our happiness and reward.
Galatians 5:18-25
18 But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law.
19 You know what comes from the flesh: fornication, impurity and shamelessness, 20 idol worship and sorcery, hatred, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, 21 and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to you what I have already said: those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, patience, understanding of others, kindness and fidelity, 23 gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no Law or punishment. 24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires.
Beloved, to live by the Spirit is to be certain of inheriting the Kingdom, for the fruits of the Spirit which are enumerated by St. Paul are clearly produced by one who lives a life that is under the influence of Your own Holy Spirit. If I say I belong to You, my life and my actions must prove it. The last verse is a litmus test for all all who wish to know if we are truly led by the Spirit. If this cannot be said of us then we have to strive harder, more diligently and faithfully.
Luke 11:42-46
42 A curse is on you, Pharisees; for the Temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and the other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. This ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other. 43 A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. 44A curse is on you for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people don’t notice them and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.” 45 Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, “Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too.” 46 And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves don’t move a finger to help them. 45 Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, “Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too.” 46 And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves don’t move a finger to help them.
Beloved, we too can be guilty like the Pharisees of making a careful, outward show of our piety and good works but You who see the heart, know how far our hearts are from You. Wouldn't it have been grand to actually hear You letting those bloated self-satisfied Pharisees and lawyers have it. You minced no words. Sometimes we are too afraid to speak the truth to those with power, money and influence. You had no such inhibitions because You are always on the side of truth. Loving as You are, You can be tough on those who refuse to hear. I guess that is what they call tough love.
Psalm 1:2-3, 6
2 Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord
3 He is like a tree beside a brook
producing its fruit in due season,
its leaves never withering.
Everything he does is a success.
The verses in this Psalm gives us a blueprint of what one who loves Your Word and makes it their food and drink is like. and meditates day and night
on his commandments. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way.
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