Who are you?
Companies are trying to make their employees feel like they are part of a family and not just any employee. However, no matter how hard you work and how good you do your work, if your try to go to the house of the president of the company he won’t let you in because he doesn’t know you. He would probably ask “who are you?”. You can answer “I have been working for his company for long years, I have worked overtime when needed, I have provided valuable improvement ideas, and I have even missed important family events in order to meet company due dates”, but I am pretty sure that he will tell you “I am sorry, but I don’t know you. You can’t come in.”
That would not be a big deal since, who works with the expectation to visit his/her boss’s house? Unfortunately, some Christians do.
All believers receive spiritual gifts “to prepare God’s people for works of service,so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13). Every believer has a work to do in the kingdom of God, but our work is not what will grant us entrance to the kingdom of God.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ – Matthew 7:21-23
It would be really sad to be denied access to the kingdom of God after living a life “devoted” to serve God. Doing your work is not what will allow you entrance to your boss’s house (the kingdom of God), but rather a personal relationship with him. In fact, the kingdom of God is the only organization where its “employees” are intended to become part of the family: children of God (John 1:12). As children we are expected to have a relationship with our father, so when Jesus says “I never knew you” (or in other words, “who are you?“) he is really implying “you might have been doing all the good things that believers are expected to do, but failed to be a child to your Father”.
Salvation was made available to us because of God’s love, so why do we insist in making this a religious experience instead of enjoying the benefits that are only bestowed to God’s children? We should not forget that salvation is by faith, so we are granted entrance into “God’s house” because of what Jesus did for us and not because of what we do for him.
There is no place for unknown employees at God’s house, but there is plenty of place for His Children, so let’s keep working for the kingdom of God and make sure that you are well-known in heaven as His child.
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