Whatever You Did

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 This verse, to me is the ultimate in directions. In other places in Scripture we are told to love our neighbors and love our enemies. Of course we are told, which seems like it shouldn’t be necessary but it is, to love God. Love your neighbor, your enemy and God. Okay, got it. Do we?

That to me, is where this verse and the ones that precede it, come into play. Prior to this verse Jesus has laid out what is important. Did you feed me? Visit me in prison? Give me a drink of water? Take care of me when I was sick? Clothe me? Befriend me when I was a stranger and alone? Ah! Read that and now it’s easier to understand what it means to love. In this passage love is not an emotion it’s action. To quote the overused phrase, “Love is a verb.” The phrase is overused but sadly the sentiment it contains is not.

Looking at my life from the perspective of Matthew 25:34-40, I can easily see where I’ve had success and where I have failed. However lately God has directed me back to that last verse several times. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

  In spending time with God the last couple of weeks this verse has come up, as I walk through my days this verse comes up. “Whatever you did” rings in my ears and in my soul. Finally light dawned.

Yes, I’m proactive about doing nice things. I love, love, love to give. Well, yay me, right? No, not at all! That joy is a gift from God. I didn’t earn it or create it myself. I’m happy to give wherever and whenever I can. So what’s the message?

“Whatever you did.” Oh! So the snarky remark? The snub in the hallway? The refusal to even consider another person’s perspective? The phone call/meal/ card that I should have made or sent? The put down I thought was so hilarious? The judgment I passed on that person about whom I know precious little? Uh-oh!

I have no problem opening my home and my life to people. Beyond not having a problem with it I love the opportunity to pray with others. It makes my day when someone asks me to pray with them. That other stuff? Those negative responses? Oh yes, I’m doing them to or for God’s people as well. The verses are about giving and serving others but our Lord showed me that the words “whatever you did” cover a lot more.

 Now, in my dwindling years, now maybe I am truly getting a clue of how to love my neighbor, my enemy and my God. Whatever is a word that has been overworked and abused, as you well know if you’ve ever even met a teenager.

  Look at it again, in light of these verses and their deep meaning. “Whatever you did to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did to me.” Then ask yourself, would I treat God this way?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Not Really god, where are you?

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning to noon.”Baal answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said, “Surely he is a god! Perhaps his is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:26b-27 Those who know me would be quick to tell you that I am a bit sarcastic. It’s a quality that I have passed on to my children and even some of my grandchildren. Some days I feel a little guilty. Is that really a quality that God wants to see in me? Certainly that cannot be my go to attitude but there are times that it comes in quite nicely. This morning, reading a totally unrelated verse, I was reminded of this account in the first book of Kings. (It begins at verse 16 and continues to the end of the chapter. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t and it if you have reread it. It’s great!) In this p
Read more

My Offering

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also love you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2 Standing in my kitchen, I was praying that what I was putting together for a friend would convey what I want her to know, that I so deeply appreciate her. As my mind spun around what can I add? What would she really like? Is this enough? I had to laugh. That is so often my prayer, “Lord, I don’t have anything to give. I don’t give enough. What can I possibly do?” and on, and on and…. Well, you get it, I’m sure. May I just say, GOD IS GOOD! (Yes, I know the caps mean I’m shouting. Yes, I am shouting!) While I was preparing my “gift” I was thinking about how often I feel that I don’t do enough, for friends, for family, for my hubby and certainly for God. I had music playing, another pretty typical occurrence. The Third Day song, “Offering” started to play and I started singing along.
Read more

God Only Knows

    Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again; Rejoice! Let you gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7   Anyone who knows me, know that I am very skeptical of anything that presents itself as a formula to get closer to God. It’s as if we have to follow certain steps in a certain order to get His attention or receive His mercy. I am much more an advocate of crying out from the naked, transparent depths of my heart. Trusting that the God who created me and loves me is not checking the order of my steps as I run to Him.           Today I’m going a little bit of a sidestep from that. This morning while praying three phrases came to my mind and heart and immediately I knew they weren’t just for me. Som
Read more