Nothing like Them

Nothing like Them

All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
Matthew 25:32-34 NLT

I recently went to a summer fair. There were a profusion of weavers, bee keepers and confectioners peddling their wears. I saw a peacock, some chicks, a sow and several other farm variety flora and fauna. I even saw sheepherders shear their sheep. We perused the other areas and at a quick glance I saw more of what at first looked like sheep to my untrained eyes. So I announced to my wife that there were more sheep, but she quickly corrected me that these were indeed goats. I compared the animal in front of me to the memory of the (Ursula referred to the recently shaven as naked) sheep. Their faces were of a similar shape and color, but the goats had longer ears, more sturdy legs and a taller and thinner body. Though they had a similar appearance at first glance, they were indeed very different creatures.

My friend Terry once quoted Matthew 25 and suggested that apparently, the goats and the sheep look about the same. And that Jesus will be able to tell the difference. Terry’s idea got me to wondering if sometimes Christians look like everyone else?

I think that we believers slip up and take on the appearance of non believers. And sometimes we slip up so often or so badly, that we may even forget our true identity in Christ. Like me, you may have come to the conclusion that no true follower of Christ could screw up so badly. But I ask you to take courage for God has not forgotten who you are and where you belong. God has placed you in the hands of Christ for safe keeping, and believe me, you can’t slip out (John 6:37). And at the appointed time, the Father will come for us, and relieve us of the failures and sin that seem to abound. If you have claimed Christ as savior, then you are one of God’s sheep. The thing we can’t see is that God has marked us as His Own. He has adopted us and no longer calls us servants, but calls us family. You are nothing like them; you are a child of the King! You might have made some mistakes, but you are nothing like them. You are in the family of the King!