Commissioned: Passion to Purpose: Living the Great CommissionSample

What’s on the Test?

When we are in school and a test is coming, we always ask the teacher, “What is going to be on the test?” There is just too much material to master, and we want to be sure and focus on the things that will give us a good grade—the things that will be on the test. We trust that the teacher will test us on the things that are essential, that the test will not be about trivia things but about the things that are truly important.

Jesus, our king, will one day be our judge. We will stand before him and he will give us a grade on the way we have lived our lives. The stakes will be high—those who pass the test will be granted a place in the heavenly kingdom prepared by the Father from before the creation of the world.

Fortunately, Jesus has told us ahead of time what will be on the test! It comes as no surprise to us that loving and serving Jesus is what will enable us to pass the test. But what is surprising is that Jesus does not ask us to lavish our love and service on Him, but instead on people who are in need. Jesus is saying that we show love to Him by loving those whom he loves and by caring for those for whom he longs to care. The hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the stranger, the prisoner—the people who suffer from the injustice of life—Jesus loves them and longs to care for them. He says to us, “If you love me, love them, care for them, meet their needs.”

Life is complicated. There is so much going on around us—so many demands, so many opportunities—that we need to know what is important and where to focus. Jesus tells us to focus on people in need right in front of us. He asks us to love people for Him because He loves them so much. This means that we will not be able to do some other things with our time and talents; we may not become as rich or as famous. But our hearts will become more like Jesus’s heart. This is what we are created for and this is how our lives will be judged.

We learned in our last Bible study that we are saved by grace, not by our good works; do these passages contradict one another? No, but they do point out an important secret of the Christian life. It is grace that empowers us to do good works. Our last study taught us that we are “saved by grace for good works” that God has planned for us. We are saved by grace, and the way that grace saves us is by empowering us to do good works. God gives us a task to do, empowers us to do it, and then rewards us for doing what He did through us. Isn’t that amazing?! Amazing grace!

Stop, think and pray:

Who is there in my world who needs God’s love and care today? What changes in my life will allow me to focus on loving and caring for others? How can I stay full of God’s grace so that I am ready to serve?