Life is going on all around us and we are often defined by what we do rather than what we say. I tend to talk a lot, sometimes too much; and I paint a picture with words that don’t always add up to the actions in my life. I find this also to be true with my faith in the word of God. I say I believe the word of God to be true and I believe everything in it. I believe that Christ is the way, the truth and the life. I believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain. I believe to be a Christian is not to simply follow a book of do’s and don’ts, but rather to take what Christ said and did to be literal & to pick up my cross and follow Him daily.
BUT
Sometimes I find myself reading scriptures like 1 John 2:6 “ Whoever claims to live in Christ must walk as Jesus did.” Am I truly walking on this earth the way Jesus did? Do I have the nature of a loyal servant that will be obedient unto death? Do I truly view and love everyone the way Christ did? If so, how is this manifesting in my life?
In Matthew 25 we get a frightening picture of the coming judgment. In this passage, Christ condemns people to eternal punishment because they did not care for Him during their lives here on earth. Verses 42-43 declare “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”
The condemned protest, saying they never saw Christ in any of these positions of need, and Jesus responds “ I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Verse 45)
This passage hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. I’ve read this countless times and I always feel convicted and guilty but never take it literal. How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as being Jesus? The slow driver in the car in front of me or the annoying person in the movie theater smacking their gum….Or the homeless man standing on the street corner?
If we believe, as Jesus said,the two greatest commandments are to “ Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself” then this passage has a lot to teach us. Basically, Christ is connecting the command to “Love God” with the command to “Love your neighbor.” By loving “the least of these,” we are loving God Himself.
In this same chapter Jesus blesses some people for what they have done. Confused they ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” (Verse 37-39)
His answer: “I tell you the truth, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (verse 40) Jesus is saying that we show tangible love for God in how we care for the poor and those who are suffering. He expects us to treat the poor and the desperate as if they were Christ Himself.
– 1 John 3:16-20
This is how we know what Love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the Love of God be in Him? Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.
In this passage John questions whether it is possible to truly have God’s love in you if you have no compassion for the poor. One of the most memorized verses in the bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16) Right there we see the connection between loving and giving established. The gap is so extreme in our world that we have to take lightly passages such as Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”
How is it possible for me to walk out of a mud shack and back into a two thousand square foot home without doing anything? The concept of downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, beautiful and nearly unheard of. We either close the gap or don’t take the words of the Bible literally.
I dare you to believe the words of Jesus, to take them seriously. Dare to think about your children living in poverty, without enough to eat. Dare to believe that those really are your brothers and sisters in need. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt 12:50) Do you truly believe that? Do you believe that when you serve the least you’re serving the King? Do the words you say line up with the life you live? Do you live what you believe?
To live is Christ
To die is Gain
