When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me–you did it to me.'” Matthew 25:31-46 (MSG)
It is important to take care of our family, friends and loved ones. God put them all in our lives for a reason. But they are not the only people we are meant to take care of. Jesus reminds us that His followers will care for the hungry, thirsty, sick, homeless, hurting and prisoners. They will work to meet the needs of others. They will not help others for the purpose of being seen, but they will help others because they are followers of Christ. The serving of others will flow from our hearts because we are His children. We can show the love of God to others because He loves us.
Prayer:
God, thank you for sending others to help me when I was in need. Show me who I can help today. I want to be like the sheep that Jesus mentioned who are blessed by the Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.