The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 9 August 2026 – Judgement Of The Nations
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TOPIC: Judgement Of The Nations
READ: Matthew 25:31-46
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
THE MESSAGE:
Whenever people are brought before a court to be tried for offences they may have committed, the judge will sentence those who are guilty to life in imprisonment or even death, depending on the degree of offence. The ones not guilty will be set free. Jesus illustrated here how all the nations (Gentiles) will be judged before the throne of His glory. The people will be separated into two groups – the sheep on the right and the goats on the left (vv. 32-33). The righteous will inherit the kingdom of God prepared for them from the foundation of the world (v. 34) while the unrighteous will be cast into hell fire prepared for the devil and his agents (v. 41b). These pronouncements will be based on the practical deeds of each group – those who did what was expected and those who did not, respectively.
Beloved, how do you expect to meet with the King of Kings in judgment – as a sheep or a goat? This expectation will make us to be careful how we live our lives while here on earth, bearing in mind that Heaven and Hell are real. Those little actions which we take for granted are important to God – feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty drink, giving shelter to strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and prisoners. These will be subjects of judgment one day. While we labour in the service of God in our churches, may we never neglect our expected service in the society where we live. The choice is ours.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me by your grace to live righteously and serve humanity all the days of my life in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen
