Lesson Seven: I Never Knew You
Devotion #6: My Friend, Mr. President
Nathan Elliott
There is a story of a man who visited the White House because he wanted to see the president. He emphatically demanded to see him at once because he claimed to have known the president personally. Not surprisingly, his attempt to meet the president quickly failed when he was promptly escorted out of the White House. Even though he claimed to have known him, it does not necessarily mean that the president knew him in return. I tell you this story because there is a strong parallel to our relationship with Jesus. Do you know Jesus, or does Jesus know you?
In my opinion, this passage is the most terrifying of all the Bible. There are those who we know and love in our families, churches, and communities who are deceived. They claim to have a genuine relationship with Jesus, but they do not. There are many people who associate with Christianity and the Church their whole life, only to realize on judgment day that their faith was never genuine. However, the intent of this teaching is not that we live in fear of our relationship with God. Jesus is lovingly giving us these warnings in Scripture so that we may examine our faith and test the authenticity of it. Thankfully, through Scripture, we can have assurance of our own salvation.
As we serve our community, are we doing it out of obedience to God or because we believe it is the right thing to do? Both can be true at the same time, but we must recognize our service is just that, service. The works we do in the name of Jesus must not be mistaken as our assurance of salvation. While works are evidence of salvation, we cannot rely on them to do anything for us in eternity. I challenge you to take a moment before serving to examine yourself and ask the question, “Am I doing this primarily because it makes me feel good or because I am eternally grateful for what Jesus has done for me?” The only way of escaping God’s wrath and judgment is to place our faith in the One whom God poured His wrath upon in our place. He is Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10 promises us, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”