The Unknown Jesus

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Matthew 25 (click the link)


KEY PASSAGE:
The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46, The Message)

"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.' 

"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—  

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

I was homeless and you gave me no bed,

I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,

Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'  

"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' 

"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.' 

"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

REFLECTIONS:

This scripture always hits me HARD.  I know I’m not doing enough.  I am so blessed!  And yet I know I’m selfish with my time and resources.  But is it really MY resources and time?  Doesn’t that belong to God, too?  Helping with a meal or something to drink is no big deal.  I can do that.  Cooking is NOT in my area of “gifting,” but it is something I can do and have done.  Donating clothes and blankets… I love doing that.  It comes easy for me.  Visiting someone who is very ill or someone in prison feels awkward, but I’ve done it.  Given a bed to the homeless?  NEVER.   Well, not to someone that’s not a trusted friend anyway.  (Awhhhhh.  Jesus is so sweet.  He just reminded me that we DID take in four foster children—each for a season.  So I guess we HAVE given a bed to the homeless.)  I was thinking more like our friend, Rick, that attended PRF off and on for the past 5 years.  He was truly “homeless” this last season of several months, and I thought about our empty bedroom, but never offered him a bed.  I thought about what a hot shower would mean for him. But I did NOTHING!   I prayed for him and cheered Brian and Bami Wood on as they tried to help him, but I personally did very little.

This scripture brings to mind the refugees from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  How Kathy Strand took in a family with a special needs son.  How she and Hoby took in some homeless men from “under the bridge” and tried to help them with jobs and get them back on their feet.  

I think of Ann Aiken and her family… how they give and give… and give with such a cheerful heart… to our church, our community, people living under the bridge in Austin and in Guatemala.  It is like second nature to them.  I don’t think she even thinks about it.  They just “give.”

As I think about the “opportunities” that have been put before me, I have to admit that I’ve been selfish.  There are some areas where I’m more than willing to give when I feel Christ nudging me… such as finances and my time, but if I’m honest, I’ve fallen short.

There are so many in our church family who give so unselfishly.  So many names are popping into my head right now.  I’d love to list them all out here, because I know you do it for your love of Jesus Christ—not for the recognition.  I THANK each of you for being the example of Christ to those around us.  YOU encourage ME to do more.

POINT OF ACTION:

I challenge you to ASK GOD… Who? Where? When? What? How?   I believe if you listen to His nudging, He will use you to affect the life of an individual.  God can use your willingness to not only affect the individual, but will ripple on out to reach their family, our community and beyond.

Who can I serve today that will make an eternal difference in the Kingdom of God? Remember, Jesus said:  “Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was ME—you did it to Me.”

PRAYER:

Father, forgive me for the many times I’ve fallen short of what You would have had me do to help another.  Let my log-filled eyes see when someone is overlooked or ignored.  Even with my imperfections, THANK YOU for continuing to trust me to be Your hands and feet, and for allowing me to serve in areas that make a difference in people’s lives and Your Kingdom.  Help me to hear You clearly, Lord, so I don’t get in Your way.  And THANK YOU for Your forgiveness!   In Jesus’ beautiful name I pray.  Amen!

WHO AM I?

I am Georgia Arms, and today I am a very humble woman.  I’m blessed beyond words and I am thankful for so much!  My family, my health, my marriage, our home, friendships…and so much more!   All gifts from my God and Savior, and in spite of me.  I got to spend this last week with my almost 91 year old mother. When she comes to stay for a few days, we spend a LOT of time doing genealogy research. Nowhere is it more apparent that the choices we make in our lives today, affect future generations.  In our family lineage, we have a very Godly ancestral line, and a fairly “worldly” line.  I see the Godly line full of people in careers of serving others and committed to marriages and raising their families to serve and revere God.  In the “not-so-Godly” line, I see multiple marriages, sexual sin and hard hearts.  It’s like a night and day difference.  Scripture talks about the blessings and curses for multiple generations.   I am a blessed woman.  I want MY children to KNOW our God and Savior and to live their lives in ways that are pleasing to Him.