In Matthew 7 Jesus said:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
He continues with:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Sometimes we can fool ourselves into believing we are serving God, but are actually doing what Christ said in Matthew 15:
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Consider when one raises their hand, repeats a prayer, walks an aisle, gets baptized as a mean to "do" something to receive salvation, but fails to repent of sin or change their lifestyle.
Consider when one attends church (or seldom attends church), gives money, maybe even serves in ministry to "do" something to receive praise, but fails to love and commune with God.
In Mark 7, Christ warns:
That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Prophesying, casting out devils, and doing wonderful works in the name of Christ can be good things. However, they must be done out of genuine faith, love, and obedience to God.
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: [Ephesians 6:6-7, in reference to serving]
We must be mindful of our heart, our motives, constantly measuring them in the light of Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit. We can easily be deceived by persons, the devil and ourselves. Giving us a false assurance that we are "okay" with God.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
We cannot and will not deceive Christ by simply calling him LORD and pointing to our good works.
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. [Jeremiah 17:9-10]
We are not simply called to "do" the will of God in our flesh, but rather flowing from our inner man of the heart as well. Not merely lip service or eye service for men to see, and to ease our conscious or boost our pride. It should all be for the glory of God. Let us test ourselves—our words, deeds, and motives—to ensure we are in Christ.
May we hear:
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
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