It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted. As all journeys in life go, there are up’s and down’s. The Christian walk is not an easy one. Sometimes our faith is strong and God puts us on the mountain top, and then there are periods of life where we just hang on to his hand as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That said, I’m glad to bring you a new post today.
Here is the passage of scripture we are going to meditate on:
Matthew 25:35-40:
35 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, 36 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.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “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.’
I find this scripture passage to speak to depths of compassion and love we need to have for our neighbour. In a world that is often so cold-hearted, it is only through the love of God that we can attain such softer hearts to actually care.
This scripture coincides with what Jesus said summed up all the law and the prophets… love God and love neighbour. That’s it. If someone were to ask me what Jesus taught, that is exactly what I would tell them.
In this scripture passage Jesus tells us that our acts of service and benevolence towards others are counted as acts of service and benevolence to Him. When we love our neighbour, we are loving God.
For some people reading today’s passage would make them think of giving money to charity. And certainly, that is one way to help out our neighbours. Coming from my point of view, there are many ways, besides giving money, that we can act out this command.
The scripture speaks of those who are hungry, who need clothes, who are in prison, etc. This scripture encourages us to never think we are better than anyone else, it encourages us to meet people at the point of their need. Sharing a meal, donating our hand-me-downs, helping someone stranded at the side of the road, visiting the sick and the aged, offering understanding and compassion to prisoners, these are all noble things that Jesus calls us to do.
Let us remember that Jesus died on the cross for all. There is not a single person on this planet who God loves less. Indeed Christ became sin so that we might have life.
This scripture passage speaks to the following:
-Love
-Compassion
-Giving
-Forgiveness
-Non-judging
And just think, when you do that “good deed”, when you find a way to apply this scripture, we are told that it is counted as doing that towards Christ Jesus. What if instead of seeing the sinner, the poor, the diseased, the criminals, we only saw Christ as we peered into people’s faces?
This scripture has been on my mind for quite some time now. I feel that I have truly meditated upon it. One insight that I would like to share is that applying this scripture does not come from opening one’s wallet, it comes from opening one’s heart.
It is our heart’s condition that will dictate how we fulfill this passage in our lives. It is a call to forgive those we’ve been holding back forgiveness from. It is a call to see other’s with new eyes. It is a call to soften our hearts in a bitter world and to truly let God’s love in our hearts transcend everything else that’s going on.
