Tag Archives: John Henson

Are you unprepared?

Unwilling to Prepare

Many people at the judgment will say to the Lord, “I’ve been a good person.”

Many have never been guilty of what they consider to be serious positive transgressions of God’s commands.
They think they should be admitted to heaven solely on the basis of their conduct. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees considered themselves good people.

In Matthew 25, the end-of-time pictures Jesus paints were not about people who had been bad, as such. All of the pictures are about people who could have prepared for eternity, but did not. They knew what they needed to do, but decided to leave those things undone.

The five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) should have known their lamps would likely go out, but instead of preparing for that eventuality, they ignored it until it was too late.

The one-talent man’s problem was that he was unwilling to work (Matthew 25:14-30). He had been given an amount of money that represented an opportunity which he hid in the ground. He was called wicked, not because he was a bad person, but because he was afraid and didn’t want to work.

When Jesus judges the world in righteousness, some will be condemned because they knew there was work to be done, but they just didn’t want to do it (Matthew 25:31-46). These people were not bad; they just failed to do the things Jesus wanted.

Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty and you gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked and you clothed me not: sick and in prison and you visited me not” (Matthew 25:42-43).

Friends, there is more to being faithful than just avoiding those sins we think will condemn us. Remember what James wrote, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

How many will be turned away from heaven who just are unwilling to prepare?

–by John Henson

Being a father

I love being a father.

If every bit of progress of my children isn’t imprinted on film or memory card, it is in my mind as fresh as the day it happened. Those memories include when each of our three children walked, when they learned to ride a bicycle, and graduated from college. Sure, there have been trials and difficulties but the joys outweigh them all.

Each child has repeatedly assured us of their love for their mother and me. I know their love is genuine because they show it often.

Jesus repeatedly showed his love for his heavenly father by obeying him (John 14:15). He spoke of his father lovingly and encouraged us to love him as well. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us how to please our heavenly father. He told us our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes (Matthew 5:20). And, he taught us how to give and pray in a way that pleased God.

He started by encouraging us to be careful when we give and pray (Matthew 6:1, 5). When we give and pray we are not to behave the same way others do. There are those who give and pray to impress others. Jesus told us his father doesn’t like that. We are not to be like those people (Matthew 6:2, 8).

Jesus wanted us to give showing our true love for him by not creating a scene designed to impress others (Matthew 6:2). When we pray, our requests should be made known without showy pretense as the hypocrites (Matthew 6:5-6). He said do not be like them.

God loves being a father. He gives his children every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). He always gives without giving us a sharp reprimand for how we use his gifts (James 1:5). He wants to be proud of us because he loves us just as any good father loves his children.

What our heavenly father asks is not so difficult. Let’s make him proud of us by being obedient children. We should want to love him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Do you love God enough to want to do what he asks?