Goats

Matthew 25:41 (NIV)

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."

What separates the sheep from the goats? The sheep have the love of God in their hearts, while the goats only have selfishness. This will come as a shock to many "Christians." People who thought they were saved, tithe and go to Church regularly, maybe even sing in the Choir and participate in many ministries, and are regarded as outstanding community citizens, may find themselves in hell on judgment day. As much as the Lord is holy and without holiness no one will enter His divine, blessed presence, He is also love and justice. Those who are morally upright but do not have the love of God are goats. The Pharisees and Sadducees perfectly fit this description. They gave a tenth of all their income, did not cheat or fornicate, were regular members of the synagogue, were productive members of their community, and were highly respected. Yet the Lord blasted them as the worst of all sinners. Why? Because, as pious as they were, they did not have the love and justice of God in their hearts.

What's happening in the world today? People are so obsessed with themselves. Their God has become their stomach, and their glory will be shame. When was the last time any of them fed a hungry person? Did they even bother to think about those underprivileged, let alone help them? If and when they do, they only reach out to those they like or in their community, while despising others who are not like them, particularly those in other countries. Nations have stopped providing aid to the poorest of the poor nations with severe starvation and malnutrition. Are such nations and people sheep or goats? Countries are great because they are generous, open, caring, loving, and willing to share. They are powerful because they are tolerant and believe in the strength of diversity. They were successful because they fostered cooperation, not competition. When a nation despises people of color, poor migrants, and wants to hoard as opposed to "wasting" it on "corrupt" and poor nations, it's behaving like goats and not sheep. Such a nation will be under the Lord's curse and not blessing.