Doing God's Will

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” Mathew 7:21

  This is another of the passages I have struggled with over the years, wondering if I would be one of those who Jesus was going to deny knowing on judgment day. I believe I finally understand what’s going on and why Jesus says what He says.

  The people He is denying knowing may have prophesied, performed miracles, or cast out demons in His name but God’s greatest law is the law of love.

  I think back to the movie, Boy Erased. It’s the story of a young, gay man. This son of a Baptist minister is sent to a Christian based organization for "conversion therapy" in the early 2000's. As a believer, it was terrible to watch. At one point, they actually beat him with Bibles in an effort to put him on the “right” path.

  This is a true story and one that has haunted me since I saw it in the theatre.

  The fact he was gay is only a minor point in this. What is far more important is how the church community of his father reacted. The beating was only a fraction of the hurt and harm caused to this man because of religion, a religion they believed gave them the right and authority to punish and shame another human being in order to make a Christian man of him.

  It makes me so very sad.

  Where am I going with this, my Lord?

  I am trying very hard not to judge these brothers and sisters as well as the ones who, throughout my journey, have come down really hard on mental illness. Maybe that’s why this young man’s story has touched my heart so very much. (I have much to forgive and choose to do so.)

  God’s greatest law is the law of love.

  Yet, the pure love of God cannot manifest itself without my co-operation. It is His will that I work and grow towards becoming a transformed being; a transformation that is only possible because He loved me first.

  It couldn’t happen any other way.

  My beloved Lord, teach me how to love these “tax collector” Christians so they, too, can know what it really means to be Your child, one who has a place reserved in the Kingdom of Heaven. Let my words and actions demonstrate the profound knowledge that You love them first, not second, not third, not only a little bit.

  I also pray for the liberation of my brothers and sisters who are caught up in the idea that Your love must be earned. 

  Forgive me for the times I have mistaken my will for Yours and for the times I believed keeping the rules defined my faith.

  Thank You for clarifying this passage because I finally realize it isn't about keeping rules simply because the rules are there, it's about the heart behind it.

  All these things I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN