Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Sheepish giving

Monday, March 10, 2014

Matthew 25:40
And the king will say, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Few chapters of the Bible have more to teach than Matthew 25. But one thing stands out for me. Here are Jesus' clearest instructions about how to live "for the sake of others."

Hungry? Here is some food.

Thirsty? Here is something to drink.

Feel alone and like a stranger? Please, come in. Welcome.

Are you wearing a thin shirt on a cold day? Here is a coat.

Sick? Dying? Let me wipe your brow, offer you what medicine I can, take you to the doctor, pray for you.

Are you in prison? Let me visit you. Is this a prison of your own making? No matter.

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs tops out at self-actualization, reached as we grow in self-esteem, consistently experience being loved, know we are safe and secure. But breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep come first.

Until those needs are met for all of us, they matter most. Until we help each other meet those needs, nothing else matters much at all.

Jesus cuts straight to the chase. Just do it, he says. That this love of others is also loving Jesus might have been new information to his listeners, but he'd often said it before. Jesus has compassion for the poor, becomes one of the poor by giving, fills the empty hearts of the poor with his love, and tells us to do the same. Is that too complicated? Here he makes it very clear.

Take one step forward and not two steps back. Look around and make eye contact with people. Speak up. Don't wait for someone else to do it first. Give away a lot of what you have. Let it go. It is not so hard. Refuse to forget that all you have ... has been given to you.

These are not options. Jesus says it is the only way to live.

Do not be afraid. And then see what happens next.

Thank you for making us human beings, Lord. Thank you for showing us how to fight and how to surrender. Thank you for our victories, thank you for our defeats. Thank you for giving us vision, and thank you for our blindness, in which we can see further. You make us, direct us in our ways, give us words and silence us. Any day in your house, Lord, is a good day to live, and a good day to die.*

* Adapted from Old Lodge Skins' prayer in Little Big Man. More great quotes from a great movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065988/quotes

Devotions Archive

Sheepish giving

Monday, March 10, 2014