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. Matthew 25:35
For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I
was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. - Matthew 25:42
Which way will you be able to answer? Are
you feeding others…or not? Will you inherit the Kingdom?
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
What will you be doing when Jesus—The King
of Kings—returns? Will you be feeding
those who are hungry or will you be feeding yourself as you sit in your big
easy chair recliner and entertaining yourself as you watch yet another exciting
sports competition or movie on your big screen television? We don’t know the
hour or the day that He will return—otherwise we could plan ahead. This way we
need to always be ready—to live each day as if today were the day of His
return. We don’t need to be in church when He calls us Home to Heaven, but we
do need to be found serving Him. Do you have any goals that guide you in your
service to the Lord? What can you do today to meet those goals…to assist the
Lord in reaching others for Him? To feed them?
Prayer
~ Lord, may I always be found making the most of my time as I wait for Your
return. I want to be ready…with a word of encouragement or a hot meal for those
who need it. Expand my awareness to see those in need that I can reach for You…and
provide the energy and resources necessary for me to do that.
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
I don’t want to go hungry or to be gluttonous
myself. Like Paul I want to be content with what I have—even if it is just
beans and rice. Soup is always good this time of the year and I can make soup
out of just about anything. I recently met a lady who doesn’t make soup…and
although she enjoys soup, she just didn’t want to try to make any. Here’s my
standard go to for a soup meal.
Be creative. Would the kiddos eat some macaroni and cheese soup?
Soup
Basics
Ingredients:
Onion – yellow or sweet preferred, green is
also good for garnish
Garlic
Vegetables: carrots, celery, green, yellow or red peppers, potatoes,
leeks, zucchini or other squash, fresh green peas, green beans, turnips, parsnips, beets or
tomatoes. Use what you have on hand, or shop for them considering what you prefer.
Dried beans or peas: dried beans (red,
white, pinto, black or lentils—red, orange, yellow or brown)
Meat: (cut-up stew meat, ground) chicken,
beef, pork, lamb or fish (many varieties)
Stock – vegetable or meat broth or water or milk (do not boil milk, only heat until simmering)
Oil – olive or vegetable
Flour or cornstarch
Noodles or rice, cooked or cook with the
soup
(noodles for 3-10 minutes or rice for about 15-30
minutes, depending on variety)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Herbs and spices, to taste
Sour cream, grated cheese, green onions or fresh herbs to garnish
If using beans, soak them overnight or boil
and let soak for at least an hour prior to combining with other ingredients.
Cut up onions, garlic and chop vegetables
into the size proportion that you like: chunky, small or finely minced. I
wouldn’t suggest combining beets and tomatoes or green beans, but whatever is
to your liking. Warm a small amount of oil and sauté onions, garlic and chopped
veggies until tender. Brown meat. You may dredge it in flour if desired to help
brown the meat or to use as a thickening agent. Fish should be added near the
end of the cooking time and cooked only for ten minutes or less depending on
the size of the chunks of meat and the type.
 |
| Curried Soup |
Bring your stock to a boil and add meat and
vegetable mixtures together, along with a little salt and pepper, spices or
herbs of choice and rice or noodles. My favorite herbs are basil and thyme and
I add them to most of my soups. Oregano and parsley are also good choices with
most meats. Rosemary is good with beef or lamb. Dill is a good accompanying herb
with fish. Paprika adds color and vitamin C. Curry powder or turmeric adds a
different blend of flavor and is used to fight inflammation. The soup can be blended in a blender if you want a smooth creamy soup.
At this point the
soup can simmer for as short a time at ten minutes or for several hours. Garnish with sour cream, green onions or fresh herbs, if desired, when served.
Do this
all in the crock pot if you need a do ahead meal. Just serve with a salad and
some whole grain crackers or those tasty little oyster crackers for real
comfort food.
 |
| No turtle soup, please. |
Soup is easy—and can be served alone or as
a separate course in a large meal. Make some soon to feed a hungry group.
Would
you serve it to Jesus Himself?
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
