Prayer
– Lord, You’ve taught us to treat others the same way we would treat You—but I
think I need You to show me just what it is I need to do. There are hungry and
thirsty people in need of clothing and other care or hospitality. Where do I
start…what as just one person can I do?
But
when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he
will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his
presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his
left. 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 creation of the
world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a
drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and
you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and
you visited me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever
see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a
stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we
ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell
you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and
sisters, you were doing it to me!' Then the King will turn to those on the left
and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was
thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't
invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was
sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' Then they will reply, 'Lord, when
did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in
prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you
refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing
to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
will go into eternal life. Matthew
25:31-46
The heavens will open when the Son of Man...
comes in His glory.
Meditate.
Consider the helpless, hungry, or thirsty people in your community.
Have you
ever been hungry, thirsty, or in need of clothes or even in need of a little hospitality?
Jesus knows how everyone feels…and what they need. He is also the ultimate
compassionate person. Remember how He fed thousands of people—a couple of times—and
He healed sick, victimized, and dead? No one was more compassionate than Jesus.
He wants us to be like Him. Compassionate. Caring. Considerate. In this passage
of scripture, Jesus tells us that when we help others—truly caring for them—it is
like we are caring for Him. Can you care for others as if they were Jesus?
Verse
of Salvation ~ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the
incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has
done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when
you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can
boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ
Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:7-10
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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