"I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you... I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.” (Matthew 11:22,24 NLT).
Those are pretty harsh words, if you ask me! So often I've read them and thought, "I'm so happy I'm not Korazin and Bethsaida or Capernaum!
Just what was the sins of these terrible cities?
Let's read the passage in its entirety: "What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.” (Matthew 11:21-24 NLT)
Did you catch that? These towns in ancient Israel are being judged ... for their unbelief! Jesus had performed so many miraculous signs and wonders in these towns. The blind saw, the lame walked, the lepers were healed! How blessed they must have been to have been the eyewitnesses to such mighty works of the Lord! Yet they are rebuked for their lack of repentance and remorse...
Yup. I'm pretty happy I'm not living in those towns!
Or am I?
No! Of course not! Jesus has long gone from this Earth. That was all from the past!
Or is it?
I have already written a couple articles to this nature, but the message continues to burn in my heart: Are we truly grateful for God's blessings in our lives?
I don't know what it is you are going through right now, but the current world average of troubles is somewhere between unequalled and unprecedented. We ask for prayers, and we often get results; but new circumstances roll in making the ones God took care of pale in comparison. And so we continue to plead and beg with God—as we rightfully should! The Bible teaches that, "you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it..." (James 4:2b NLT). But in our haste to keep piling our requests upon our loving Father in Heaven, who already, "...knows exactly what you need even before you ask him..." (Matthew 6:8 NLT), are we forgetting one very important thing?
Are we forgetting to give God the praise that He is due?
Wait. God's blessings on our lives aren't contingent upon our sayings "thanks"!
Perhaps not, no. But remember what Jesus said to the 1 out of 10 lepers that He healed? "Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:17 NLT). Friends, not only is it common courtesy to say "thanks", but it also works to our own favour! Look what Jesus went on to tell the one leper who returned: "And Jesus said to the man, 'Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.'" (Luke 17:18b NLT)
Our society is far too entrenched in the "it's my due" mentality. The fancy word for this is "entitlement" in English, but I love the French translation of this word: "Droit"! Directly translated, this means "rights"! In other words, we have adopted the mentality that every good thing that comes to us is not a gift, but rather, it is our right! We believe we are entitled to God's blessings!
Friends, this is a very slippery slope, for the Bible teaches the exact opposite: "Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father..." (James 1:17 NLT). God doesn't owe us anything! Rather, He loves us enough to ... give us gifts!
Think about it: What if your kids decided that the loving gifts you have worked hard to provide them were simply your responsibility to them, that it is their right to have those gifts? Suddenly the whole idea of giving gifts to our children wouldn't be so much fun, would it?
And if I haven't yet convinced you of the danger of entitlement, then perhaps Jesus' words will: "I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you... I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.” (Matthew 11:22,24 NLT). You see Jesus is rebuking these towns for their apathy towards His gifts for them. He is rebuking them for their sense of entitlement.
No matter how dark the days are, God is always there. When we focus only on the problems, however, our eyes are blinded to His blessings. With the New Year upon us, I would challenge each of you today to make a New Years' resolution, Make a list at the end of each day of each blessing you have been given. It may be something very small, like God gave you the energy to clean the bathroom, or simply that God loves you enough to die on a cross for you. I urge you, however, no matter how small, to determine this year to focus on those blessings rather than on the looming problems. I can guarantee you that not only will it change your perspective, but it will also keep Jesus from saying, "I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you!"
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderater, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Minisries |
