Shutting Our Eyes To The Needy

When the Lord touches someone and he is driven to his knees, he becomes intimate with Christ. He enters into a place of rest and begins to minister to Christ with new passion and a greater love.

This servant also becomes more aware of the coming Day of Judgment when he knows that God will ask him one great question: “How did you portray Christ to a lost world?”

This is the single criterion for how we will be judged on that day. It doesn’t matter if we have been shut in with God like Moses, received great revelations like Daniel, been sanctified like Paul, or preached boldly like Peter. Everyone will be judged by this single standard: how did your life express who Jesus is and what he is like?

One of the last messages Jesus spoke to his disciples before his crucifixion is contained in Matthew 25. Christ’s words gave them a new attitude of love and concern for the poor and this same message caused me to make changes in my life and ministry. That passage of Scripture is:

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of 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 drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me’” (Matthew 25:34-36).

Of course, no one can be saved by good works alone, but we will be judged by whether we live only for ourselves and shut our eyes to the needs of the poor and helpless. The Lord doesn’t expect you to do it all, but he expects you to be personally committed to hands-on involvement in at least one area of need. When you have a desire to obey his command, the Holy Spirit will show you the way.