Anglican Devotional 13 August 2023 – Be Caring And Compassionate

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 13 August 2023 – Be Caring And Compassionate

Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES

TOPIC: Be Caring And Compassionate

READ: Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)

” When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides [his] sheep from the goats.

“And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

‘I [was] naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed [You,] or thirsty and give [You] drink?

‘When did we see You a stranger and take [You] in, or naked and clothe [You?]

‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did [it] to one of the least of these My brethren, you did [it] to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;

‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

“Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do [it] to one of the least of these, you did not do [it] to Me.’

“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The MESSAGE:

In today’s text, two groups are presented: Sheep and Goats. Each is identified by their actions and inactions – What they do and do not do. The Sheep refer to those who express their faith by being kind, loving and compassionate to those who belong to Christ but are suffering. Goats refer to those who were insensitive, mean and wicked. Sheep are referred to as righteous and the Goats as wicked. The Sheep will inherit the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world which is eternal life while the Goats will inherit eternal fire. The Sheep will be blessed while the Goats will be condemned. An interesting part of this text is that each of the group did not know that their daily interactions with and reactions to people, especially those in need, were being recorded and noted for reward or punishment.

Everything you do today as Christian will surely count tomorrow. Opportunity abounds every day to touch somebody’s life and put smiles on faces. People are suffering and hurting. God is counting on you to make a difference and be a vessel through whom the fragrance of Christ’s love will spread on earth. Choose to be caring and compassionate.

PRAYER: O Lord, grant me unlimited grace to reach a helping hand out to those in need. Amen

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) provides daily scriptural readings and reflections to help individuals deepen their relationship with God. This edition for 12 August 2023 focuses on the theme of forgiveness and explores how we can receive and extend forgiveness to others as Christ did for us. Join us in this enriching journey of faith and discover the power of forgiveness in your life.