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He Will Not Forget

                 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6:10)

   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one 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 in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

First, the book of Hebrews was written to people of the Jewish cultural persuasion. Since God is God, He isn’t likely to forget the work and the love shown to Him and His people by someone of another background, but the promise is technically made to those of Jewish descent.

The problem is that God’s remembering work and love shown is not the same as having a relationship with God or His people. We can do what other people would call loving God or helping His people without ever interacting with God. That’s why Jesus said that people would say, “Didn’t we ______ in your name?”

And His response would be, “I never knew you.”

That doesn’t mean that when they face judgement, they won’t be recognized as having done good. And there may be something about where in Hell they end up - in what might be termed a “better neighborhood.” But deeds don’t get us into heaven or hell. They are, instead, the result of our relationship with God, or lack thereof. That’s why it’s crucial that we pay attention to whether our deeds are done to impress others, to please ourselves, or to please God.

And that's a question I face frequently. I have caught myself trying to impress people I've just met with how strange I am. I regularly make prayer shawls and lap afghans to donate to the missions group in Florida, but I don't have any connection with the person getting it. They may benefit, but I'm making them at least partly to prevent boredom or a wandering mind - and probably partly for my reputation as a crazy multi-tasker. Some moments are better than others.

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