The Least of These
I
was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you
gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you
gave me a room,
I was shivering and you
gave me clothes,
I was sick and you
stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you
came to me.’
Then
the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these
things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
Matthew
25:34-40 (The Message)
Lent provides us a time to think about the sacrifice Jesus
made for us. And may make us wish to
take action to be more like Jesus in our daily lives.
In this scripture passage, Jesus tells the story of the
sheep and the goats who are divided by the Son of Man. The King tells those who have been blessed
by God to take their inheritance because they provided him with food, drink,
shelter, clothing, and companionship when he needed it. The listeners do not believe him and ask when
they provided those necessities of life.
The King replies that whenever people helped one of the least of the brothers
and sisters, they did it for the King.
And by doing so, the righteous will have eternal life.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of
problems we see in our nation or community, we can take this lesson to heart
and reach out to help one person.
Whether it's someone we know personally or a complete stranger, our
assistance can mean a great deal to the person who is in pain. During this period of Lent, as we prepare for
the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, let us look around to see
where we can assist someone in need. For
by helping another, we are serving the King, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the blessings you have
poured down on us. Help us to remember
that our inheritance awaits us in your kingdom.
If we see someone who is hungry, thirsty, homeless, sick, or in prison,
let us remember that what we do for any one of them, we do for our Lord.
Contributed
by Robin Hadfield
No comments:
Post a Comment