Don't Shoot the Messenger

I was watching the weather this morning.

The young meteorologist described a day 

of rain and storms which will clear

the way for less humidity and 

a very wonderful few days ahead.

It struck me that these individuals

come on television or radio every day

and share the forecast.

Whatever it might be.

Popular or not.

I mean how effective would it be if

they just told us what we wanted to hear

every day?

I would put my order in for 75 degrees and

sunny nearly every day.

But they could tell me that just to make

me happy and it wouldn't make it true.

If there happened to be a day when 

tornadoes were a threat I would definitely want

to have the option of knowing.

I would not want them tickling my 

ears with tales of sunny blue skies on that day.

Of course I made a leap from this 

analogy.  One that was inspired by a 

forum I recently joined.

We were talking about churches.

I'm so glad to be in a fellowship that 

preaches the truth....

not a false gospel which is 

soothing to the ears allowing its 

hearers to falsely float along without

really knowing their need of a personal 

Savior.  The message that we are sinners

is not popular but it did not originate with us.

It is the message of our Creator God.

Just as the meteorologist cannot change the 

facts about what will happen in the atmosphere

each day....so we cannot change the message

in the Word of God.

Please don't shoot the messenger.

From Romans 3:

As it is written:   

 “There is no one righteous, not even one;
 ¹¹ there is no one who understands;
   there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
   they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
   not even one.”^[b]

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates 

his own love for us in this: 

While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall 

not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 25:31-46

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, 

and all the angels with him, 

he will sit on his glorious throne. 

³² All the nations will be

gathered before him, 

and he will separate the people

one from another as a shepherd 

separates the sheep from the goats.  

³³ He will put the sheep on his right

and the goats on his left.

   ³⁴ “Then the King will say 

to those on his right, 

‘Come, you who are blessed 

by my Father; 

take your inheritance, 

the kingdom prepared for you 

since the creation of the world. 

³⁵ For I was hungry and you 

gave me something to eat, 

I was thirsty and you 

gave me something to drink, 

I was a stranger and you invited me in,  

³⁶ I needed clothes 

and you clothed me, 

I was sick and you looked after me, 

I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, 

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry 

and feed you, 

or thirsty and give you 

something to drink? 

³⁸ When did we see you 

a stranger and invite you in, 

or needing clothes and clothe you?  

³⁹ When did we see you sick or in 

prison and go to visit you?’

   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, 

‘Truly I tell you, whatever

you did for one of the least of these

brothers and sisters of mine, 

you did for me.’

   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left,

‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,

into the eternal fire prepared 

for the devil and his angels.  

⁴² For I was hungry and you 

gave me nothing to eat, 

I was thirsty and 

you gave me nothing to drink, 

⁴³ I was a stranger and you 

did not invite me in, 

I needed clothes and you 

did not clothe me, 

I was sick and in prison

and you did not look after me.’

   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer,

‘Lord, when did we see you 

hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing

clothes or sick or in prison, 

and did not help you?’

   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, 

‘Truly I tell you, 

whatever you did not do for

one of the least of these, 

you did not do for me.’

   ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away 

to eternal punishment,

but the righteous 

to eternal life.”