Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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 invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Devotional: In every church, there’s always someone who is pre-occupied. Someone who is engaged in what is sometimes called a “holy huddle”. That is, when believers isolate themselves from non-Christians, developing relationships only with other believers and essentially have their backs turned to those who are in need.
Earlier this week we looked at the story of the paralyzed man who was taken to Jesus by four men who ended up having to drop him through the roof of the place where Jesus was teaching because they couldn’t get through. People there with Jesus were so pre-occupied that they couldn’t see the man who was in such great need – or they simply refused to have compassion on him.
Jesus makes it clear, through the words we see Him speak in Matthew 25, that His Kingdom work is about serving those in need. And when you do respond to someone’s need, it’s as if you are serving Jesus Himself. You’re extending His love and grace in tangible ways as you do.
It’s always a good idea to gauge where you are when it comes to those in need. Are you pre-occupied and blind to the needs of others? Or do you ask God to show you where you might serve “the least of these” in His name? Whatever you do contributes to what we do as a church, because you are the church.
Reflect:
- Take some time to assess your own responsiveness to the needs of others. Ask God to show you how you might grow in your willingness to serve “the least of these.”