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“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25: 37-40)
Dear Friend, ready or not, the year is over tonight at midnight! 2018 will be no more, and as the clock strikes midnight, and as the famous ball drops in New York City, delayed one hour for God's beloved in this time zone, it will be 2019. And the text recommended to start the New Year is the one highlighted above and fully quoted below. What came to my mind is that a New Year is best served by a New You and Me! Regardless of what this New Year may bring, may it bring out in us true Christ-like love and compassion, service and witness. Take a look around and you will see this world needs Jesus more than ever.
Jesus is the author of these words, and as we read them we can see His concern for all people. The judgment will come, He says, and all nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And the basis of that judgment will be how we responded to basic human needs around us: Hunger, thirst, hospitality, nakedness, sickness, and the jailed. Did we help feed the hungry? Did we help people quench their thirst? Did we welcome the stranger? Did we clothe the naked? Did we care for the sick? Did we visit the prisoner? Jesus as God and man, knew the reality of life for all people and if you have ever felt or been in a situation like the ones He has described you know the hardships associated with each. Most of us, thank God, have never been hungry for very long; we are a blessed nation and we can find food. But in our communities, and you have to look hard, there are people who do not have enough to eat. I recently saw a story of a little girl who stood or sat on her doorstep and waved to a police officer who walked by her home every day. The one day he did not see her, he investigated, and discovered her on the floor almost dead from malnutrition. She was starving. She was in foster care with people who abused her and starved her. The officer called for an ambulance and she was saved. Now married and with children of her own, she tracked down where the police officer now works and flew down to thank him. She knows that had he not done a thing, she would have died.
The same is true for the other needs Jesus shared; if we have been there, we know how it is to suffer; and how wonderful it is to have someone come and share with us that which we needed. The above quote from the passage is key: Jesus, our king, will say to us, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
We who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, know Him to be our king as well. And as servants of the Most High King, we have our orders before us. As the year comes to a close, may the year close on the dark parts of our hearts and lives that has kept us from being truly who Jesus wants us to be.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for this year. From the good we have been blessed, and from the not so good, we have learned. May this year find me being a better person, a caring and loving person. May I seek ways to serve You and Yours better. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May this New Year's Eve find us being better!
Eradio Valverde
Reminder: Friends, please don't forget about the tour to Greece, called In the Footsteps of Paul. This adventure promises to bless our faith and our walk with Jesus. If you'd like more information, please reply to this email, and I will get it to you soon.
TODAY'S PASSAGE: Matthew 25: 31-46: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
