least of these My brethren

Matt 25: 37-40: "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'”

As Christ-followers, we need to need to realize that we are not alone in this world. We do not operate in a vacuum. God has given us vision and a purpose, and we need to follow that with utmost seriousness. However, we are not called to roll over people like an out of control steamroller not taking any consideration for who might get in the way. We need to pursue the vision that the Lord has given us, only under the understanding that we are about people and growing the kingdom of God. Jesus was concerned for souls, not just numbers. He was about meeting the needs of the people who were in front of Him. They were not just brought before Him in an assembly line manner; heal, heal, heal, heal, heal, heal. No, they were people to Him not just numbers for the Kingdom. He saw their needs and wants and spoke to their hearts. He has called all Christians to look beyond the process and actually see the individual and meet their need, reaching out with the compassion that will move us to touch the leprous hands.

Jesus says in the last days during the Judgment that He will tell His faithful, “for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” This concept is the motivating factor for all of our work and ministry. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Jesus said that the people we invest in are important to Him. We are to reach out with love and the Gospel in order to reach this world for Jesus. Jesus says when we do good and minister to those in need we are doing these good works unto Him. Col. 3:17 says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Let us not get so focused that we miss our mission field, which are the individuals we meet daily.

People are Jesus’ concern and needs to be our focus. We need to be sure to see the reason behind the mission of the organization. We serve the people for Jesus Christ. He has compassion for the people, which is the same attitude we must exhibit. Whether it is the people, we serve or the people we serve with. Let us not damage others or be damaged by friendly fire. We need to be able to see the individual trees, along with seeing the forest.

Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Lev. 10-12 New Testament Matt 26:1-19