Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

How to Help God: Matthew 25:31-46

Published August 26, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 25:31-46 (HCSB)

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

    ³⁵ For I was hungry
    and you gave Me something to eat;
    I was thirsty
    and you gave Me something to drink;
    I was a stranger and you took Me in;
    ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me;
    I was sick and you took care of Me;
    I was in prison and you visited Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ ⁴¹ Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!

    ⁴² For I was hungry
    and you gave Me nothing to eat;
    I was thirsty
    and you gave Me nothing to drink;
    ⁴³ I was a stranger
    and you didn’t take Me in;
    I was naked
    and you didn’t clothe Me,
    sick and in prison
    and you didn’t take care of Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’

⁴⁵ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Read Matthew 25:31-46 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Our passage in this post discusses how Jesus separates humanity into the two groups at the judgment. As I read this passage and what Jesus shares, the big idea for this entry is that the key distinction between these two groups is clearly defined.

The key distinction, and really the way we are able to show love to God is by showing love and compassion towards people who are unable to help us in return. Helping others who cannot help us in return is like us helping God.

The fascinating thing about this is that it is so simple. Helping a beggar or homeless person at the intersection, volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, and/or sponsoring a child in a third-world country are all ways that we are able to “help God”.

Typical “religion” never seems to make things this simple – but Jesus does. It’s also so attainable, because wherever we are in life, we can find people who we can help who cannot help us in return. It just takes open eyes and a willing spirit.

The skeptical part of me wants to push back on help because I may be “enabling” the individual I am “helping” to not better themselves. If they conclude that it is easier to simply live off of the generosity of others instead of bouncing back into productive members of society, I have actually hurt them instead of helped them.

The big problem with the skeptic part of me is that it shifts the focus off of me. Instead of asking “What can I do to help?” I am really asking “What are the reasons I shouldn’t help?”

Jesus doesn’t call us to selectively help; He calls us to help because it’s what He would do. Jesus doesn’t call us to “size up” someone who appears to need help; He calls us to help because it’s what He did. Jesus came and helped us when we were in open rebellion towards Him – while we were still sinners – and it didn’t matter to Him whether we would accept or abuse His gift. Is my focus on being like Jesus, or on making excuses to not be like Jesus?

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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A Different Kind of King: Matthew 21:1-7

Published August 25, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: Matthew 21:1-7 (NCV)

¹As Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers ²and said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once.”

⁴This was to bring about what the prophet had said:

⁵“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey,
on the colt of a donkey.’” ;

⁶The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus and laid their coats on them, and Jesus sat on them.

Read Matthew 21:1-7 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Sometimes I wonder if there was anything Jesus did that did not fulfill an Old Testament prophecy in some way. Scattered throughout Matthew’s gospel are dozens of prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and one of the most Messianic prophecies for Jesus to fulfill comes about one week before His crucifixion.

Matthew draws our attention to the importance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt by connecting this event with one of Zechariah’s prophecies which says,

“Tell the people of Jerusalem,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey,
on the colt of a donkey.’” (v. 5 [Zechariah 9:9])

Of all the prophecies included in the Old Testament, this one is among the most connected to the Messiah, and the significance of it would have been clear to almost everyone present. It probably was also noticed by the religious leaders, who may have taken it to mean that Jesus wanted to claim the role of Messiah even if they didn’t believe Him to be worthy of the title.

But if we look at this prophecy a little more closely, it perfectly describes Jesus. This prophecy says that Jesus is a king who is gentle. In that culture, and really in most cultures throughout history, the role of king has not been connected or associated with the characteristic of gentleness. Typically when we think of king, we think bold, dominant, formal, official, and perhaps even unapproachable.

But Jesus, while representing God, chose to come onto the scene in a way that was not bold, not dominant, not formal or official, and in about the most approachable way possible. Jesus came to demonstrate what the King of the universe truly is like and specifically that He is a different sort of King than what we might expect.

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Flashback Episode — The Promise of Peace: John 14:1-31

Published August 24, 2026 in Audio Journal Entries

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As Jesus finishes up the special meal He has with His disciples on the night He was arrested, John’s gospel includes a powerful teaching Jesus shares with His followers about staying hopeful, and Jesus also promises His disciples a gift He would send them after He has left.

I thought about shortening this passage, or splitting it up into multiple blocks, but I concluded that if I did, we might not be able to finish the year on time. With that said, the next few episodes will contain longer passages than normal, and in each, I won’t be able to draw out as much as I might want to if we had a little more time.

With that said, our passage for this episode is found in John’s gospel, chapter 14, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, John records Jesus’ words to these remaining disciples, saying:

¹“Don’t be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not true, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? ³If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. Then I will bring you into my presence so that you will be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going. So how can we know the way?”

⁶Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him through me and have seen him in me.”

⁸Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will satisfy us.”

⁹Jesus replied, “I have been with all of you for a long time. Don’t you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I’m telling you doesn’t come from me. The Father, who lives in me, does what he wants. ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of the things I do.

¹²“I can guarantee this truth: Those who believe in me will do the things that I am doing. They will do even greater things because I am going to the Father. ¹³I will do anything you ask the Father in my name so that the Father will be given glory because of the Son. ¹⁴If you ask me to do something, I will do it.

¹⁵“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. ¹⁶I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. ¹⁷That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.

¹⁸“I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. ¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. ²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. ²¹Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me. Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them.”

²²Judas (not Iscariot) asked Jesus, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will go to them and make our home with them. ²⁴A person who doesn’t love me doesn’t do what I say. I don’t make up what you hear me say. What I say comes from the Father who sent me.

²⁵“I have told you this while I’m still with you. ²⁶However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you.

²⁷“I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t be troubled or cowardly. ²⁸You heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, but I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.

²⁹“I’m telling you this now before it happens. When it does happen, you will believe. ³⁰The ruler of this world has no power over me. But he’s coming, so I won’t talk with you much longer. ³¹However, I want the world to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father has commanded me to do. Get up! We have to leave.”

In this passage, several ideas jumped off the page at me. Probably the biggest idea, theme, and promise within this passage is that while Jesus is leaving, He is coming again. Second to this are the powerful ideas that seeing Jesus is equivalent to seeing the Father; when we believe in Jesus, we will do what He does; when we believe in Jesus, He will answer our prayers; and when we love and obey Jesus, He will send us a helper.

A phrase stood out in Jesus’ promise to give us the Holy Spirit. Verse 16 tells us a key detail of this promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever.”

While at other points in time I’ve focused on the first phrase, the last phrase in this verse is significant. When God gives us the Helper, who is the Spirit of Truth, we will have that helper forever. When we are given the Holy Spirit, this gift is not temporary; it’s eternal!

I suspect that while we will always have the Holy Spirit while we love and obey Jesus, the way the Holy Spirit is present and working in our lives will likely adapt depending on our situation and our stage of life. This shouldn’t be seen as discouraging. Instead, this demonstrates a powerful type of love that knows each of us is unique, and we all need God in our lives in unique ways.

However, with all this said, Jesus also promises to leave us peace. From the way this section fits within the rest of Jesus’ message, I suspect that the peace Jesus leaves us is connected with the Holy Spirit. In verse 27, Jesus promises us that we will receive His peace, and this peace is unlike what the world gives. With Jesus’ peace, we should not be troubled, cowardly, or fearful.

Peace from the world’s perspective is accepting the rule of those who are more powerful. Peace in this instance does not allow for us to push back at injustice, because when we push back, we will experience resistance and hostility. Jesus does not want His followers to have the world’s form of peace.

Instead, Jesus promises us His peace, and it is a peace that allows us to stand up for God in this world, and a peace that doesn’t make sense to those who do not have it.

The peace Jesus gives His followers comes from knowing that with whatever happens in this world, Jesus has already successfully redeemed us and saved our seats at God’s table in the next world. We have peace because this life in sin is temporary, but our next life is eternal when we have placed our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first and place your faith, your hope, your trust, and your belief in Jesus. When we believe in Jesus, we unlock all the blessings God has promised to give us, though some of these promised blessings are being saved for us when we step into our next life when Jesus returns. Instead of focusing on what God is saving for us, focus on the blessings He gives each of us today, and stand up for Him in our daily lives with the assurance that Jesus has already won the victory!

Also, pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow a personal relationship with God on the best foundation possible – which is on His Word and His promises. The Bible gives us the best picture of God, and through Jesus, we know what God the Father is really like and how much He really loves each of us.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Flashback Episode: Year in John – Episode 34: While sharing with the disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, Jesus gives the disciples a number of promises, and one promise in particular, stands out as being powerful and counter-cultural when we look a little closer at it.

The Work of the Spirit: John 16:5-15

Published August 21, 2026 in Written Journal Entries

Focus Passage: John 16:5-15 (NCV)

⁵Now I am going back to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶Your hearts are filled with sadness because I have told you these things. ⁷But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. When I go away, I will send the Helper to you. If I do not go away, the Helper will not come. ⁸When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment. ⁹He will prove to them that sin is not believing in me. ¹⁰He will prove to them that being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore. ¹¹And the Helper will prove to them that judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged.

¹²“I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now. ¹³But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. ¹⁴The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me, because he will take what I have to say and tell it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what I have to say and tell it to you.

Read John 16:5-15 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

For those of us who have ever wanted a concise list of the Holy Spirit’s job description, Jesus shares some things that John records for us in several verses during a conversation Jesus has with the disciples on the night He was arrested. In this list, Jesus describes several things that the Holy Spirit will do when He comes, and some of these things may surprise you.

Jesus first gives a brief three part overview of the Holy Spirit’s role. Jesus describes what the Holy Spirit does by saying, “he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment.” (v. 8)

However, before allowing us to be confused about any of these three tasks, Jesus explains each task briefly by saying, “He will prove to them that sin is not believing in me. He will prove to them that being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore. And the Helper will prove to them that judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged.” (v. 9-11)

Each of these three descriptions is startling when we think about it. Not believing in Jesus is sin. I wonder if this may be connected with the infamous “unpardonable sin”. I don’t mean to say that unbelief at any point in our life causes us to miss out on salvation, but if we don’t believe at the point our life ends, then we ultimately end up dying in our sin. This makes unbelief the most serious sin that one could ever commit.

Jesus also describes the Holy Spirit proving to us that the only way we can be right with God is through Jesus returning to God. Other parts of the Bible describe Jesus as our “Intercessor” or our representative. Jesus is like a lawyer who is working on our behalf in the courtroom of Heaven. If He were not there, we would be defenseless against the accusations Satan would bring before God.

The third thing Jesus emphasizes about the Holy Spirit is that He will prove to God’s people that the judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged. Jesus says this in the past tense, and this is prior to the cross. This means that either Jesus is speaking about the past from a future perspective (a little tricky to prove or wrap our minds around), or Jesus is saying that Satan was judged at some point in the past. If we are looking at history before the cross for a point when Satan could have been judged, we could see that it might be either when he was kicked out of heaven, or when God cursed him (the serpent) following the fall of humanity.

Regardless of when that judgment happened, Satan has been judged and found guilty. But before God executes Satan’s punishment, history and sin must play out to determine who else is found guilty of death. This includes everyone, but Jesus opened the way to be saved through His sacrifice, through His work as our representative in heaven, and through our accepting His gift by believing and trusting in Him.

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