The Least of These

Matthew 25:40-45 (NIV)

“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.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

The story is told of a pastor in a small European village. He was greatly loved by the people, and they believed he had a singularly close relationship with God. He disappeared every Friday and could not be found for several hours. The villagers boasted that during those hours he ascended to heaven and talked with God.

A newcomer to the village was a sceptic who derided the faith of its simple people. Increasingly irritated by claims about the minister, he determined to find out where he spent Fridays. So he hid near the pastor's house. He watched as he rose early, spent time in prayer, and left his house in the clothes of a peasant.

The young skeptic followed the old saint from a safe distance. He watched him fell a tree and cut a great stack of firewood. He continued to watch as he made his way to a shack in the poorest part of the village and stacked the wood. It was the home of an old woman and her sick husband. After leaving the vulnerable couple enough wood to last them a week, the pastor quietly returned to his own home.

The villagers were startled the next Sunday when the young newcomer was in church. Indeed, he became a believer shortly thereafter. He then became a disciple of the church's godly minister and — upon his death — his successor. For the rest of his own life, whenever he heard one of the villagers speak of his predecessor and say, "On Fridays he would ascend to heaven," he would add softly, "If not higher."

How long has it been since you have reached out to somebody to help them? Why not pray today that God will show you who you can share His love with today?

Dear Lord, we pray today that You will show us who we can help today. Help us show Your love through our actions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Pride of the Parent.

Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

You will always get a group of parents at a prize-giving or at school sports. And, if they were honest, they would tell you that they have really only come to see one figure walk on to the platform to receive the prize, certificate or diploma. They have only come to see one figure flash past in the race. They will politely applaud the others, but it is only one - their one - that they came to see. And if you think that there is something wrong with that, you are not a parent. Anything our own children do or achieve has a hundred times the thrill that something that someone else's child has done.

Thomas Campbell was a famous poet; his father was a simple man who seldom read a book in his life. His famous son used to send him the volumes of his poems as they came off the press. One day someone came upon the old man standing with one of his son's volumes in his hand. He was looking at it and saying, 'To think that Tom made that!' It was Tom's book, and Tom's father was thrilled and proud.

Has it ever struck you that God is like that - about you? God is our Father and we are His children, and all the time God looks down and watches what we do. It isn't that He is watching in a critical way, ready to pounce or condemn. He is watching as a parent watches his child, and when we do well it makes Him glad, and when we do badly, it makes Him sad. It is surely the most tremendous responsibility in human life that we, being as we are, can bring joy or sorrow to God.

On one occasion someone came on Robert Louis Stevenson turning over the pages of a scrapbook of press cuttings about his own books. 'Well,' said the friend 'is fame all that it's cracked up to be?' 'Yes,' said Stevenson, 'when I see my mother's face.' His mother's joy in his success was dearer to him than all his fame with others.

As Saint Augustine said long ago, 'God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.' And, therefore, each one of us has it in us to bring pride or grief, joy or sorrow, to God.

That is, indeed, something to live for.

Dear Lord, we pray that today we would bring You pride in what we do. Help what we do bring joy to You and to those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How Will We Be Remembered By Others?

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Carl Sylvius Volkner was a German missionary in New Zealand. His ministry began in August, 1861, and he worked with the Whakatohea natives. Under his leadership, a church and a school were built for the local people.

Unfortunately, he was not welcomed by everyone with open arms. The followers of a new religion named Pai Marire absolutely hated him, and in January, 1865, while in Auckland, he was warned to never come back to Opotiki.

Volkner loved these people, however, and he could not just vanish from sight to please those who hated him. Two months later he was back with his beloved people, but his enemies were waiting for him. He was arrested for treason, he was hung from a willow tree near his church, and then he was beheaded. His murderers then drank his blood and smeared it on their faces, and as a last affront, the leader, Kereopa Te Rau swallowed Volkner’s eyes, earning for himself the name of “eye eater”.

Though Kereopa Te Rau was the one who robbed others of their sight, Volkner was the one who brought sight to those who were blind.

Two centuries later, the eye eater was eventually forgotten. Volkner, however, was not. His heroics and love for God and for these people motivated the natives to name an island after him: The Volkner Rocks.

Volkner was one of those who was truly rich, even though it cost him his life. He shared what was most precious to him, and in so doing, he brought many who were poor in spirit to the kingdom of God.

Richness means nothing if we cannot share it with others. What are we willing to do to share the Kingdom? "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

Rich are those who care for one another!

How will we be remembered by others?

Dear Lord, we pray that we would share Your love to those around us. Help us look for ways today that we can show those around us that we care. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Love In Action

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I read a story about a woman who was washing dinner dishes.

She got toward the end of the pile, and stopped. She stopped with a coffee cup in her hand, and asked herself, "How many times have I washed this cup?" That question was followed by another. She asked, "Is this all there is to life? Is this who I am?" The lady went to her bedroom, packed a small suitcase with a few of her belongings and, quietly, walked out the front door and without a plan, drove off.

That evening, from an undisclosed location, she called her husband and told him she wasn't coming home. During the next weeks she would occasionally call to check up on her little ones, and her husband assured her he still loved her and wanted her back. She declined. Worry had a stranglehold on her.

Eventually, the husband hired a private investigator to locate his wife. It was easy enough for him to find her. She was holed up in a budget motel in a city about 200 miles away. The husband dropped off the children at grandma's, and went for a drive. He knocked on the door of his wife's room, unsure as to how he might be received.

The door slowly opened; his wife looked at him in silence and then fell, sobbing into his embrace.

Days later he said, "I am glad you're home. I wouldn't change anything. But, I've wondered, when I called you, I told you I loved you, but you wouldn't come home. What changed?"

The wife had known the question would eventually come, and she had her reply. She said, "When you called, I heard words. When you showed up, I knew how much you loved me. You had sought me out; you had come for me."

Has it ever occurred to you that the Lord has done the same for us?

We all have run away from things; we all are worried and afraid. True, the Lord had always told us He loved us, but somehow just words weren't enough for many. Their worries were real and personal and far too close.

This, in part, is why the Lord sent His Son to seek and save the lost -- to bring light to those in darkness, to recall wandering sheep, to share our burdens, and give His life so you and I might be saved.

A real Jesus, a living Jesus told His disciples they could cast their cares upon Him because He cared for them. His life, death and resurrection were undeniable proof of His caring. Now, this day, Jesus says the same to us.

No matter how big is your fear or how long you have been running, Jesus' invitation still stands. He comes, He cares, and He can change your heart and mind so those anxieties are put into a proper perspective

Dear Lord, thank You for loving us not just with words, but with actions as shown in the life of Your Son. May Your sacrifice be motivation for us to respond share our faith with those You bring into our life.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Is Your Heart Scared or Scarred?

Romans 12:9 (NIV)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect.

There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said

"Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating

strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and

other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges

where whole pieces were missing.

The people stared -- how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought?

The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed.

"You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish,

because they remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a chance.

Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.

Are you giving a part of your heart away to somebody that needs it?

Dear Lord, we pray that our heart would be one of scars and jagged edges. Help us not Your love to our self but that we would share it with those around us that need some love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mission Accomplished

1 Thessalonians 5:10 (NIV)

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.

It’s the story of a friendship forged during one of the worst battles of World War II, and a promise made almost 60 years earlier, a promise that was finally kept.

Harold Huggins, a U.S. veteran of 10 major campaigns in World War II and the last survivor of his battalion, traveled halfway across the United States by train on one last mission in memory of his best buddy.

"I’ve had this on my mind for 57 years, trying to locate his sister and loved ones out there in California ," says Huggins. "Part of him lives in me."

Huggins, from Albany , IL, and Mack McClain from Marysville, CA, were best friends in the army. They wound up together at Anzio Beach , Italy , the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Mack told Harold that he didn’t think he was going to make it out of there alive, so he gave Harold some mementos, a belt, some photos, and said: "’Give this to my sister, tell her that I love her,’ Huggins recalls. ’You can even give her a kiss.’"

Harold promised that if anything happened to Mack he would do what was asked. One day later, Mack was killed in an artillery barrage.

After the war, Harold looked for Mack’s sister but he never found her until Harold’s daughter sent out e-mails to various veterans groups inquiring about Mack’s relatives. Some California veterans found Mack’s sister, Grace, whose last name had changed because she married.

"We have always hoped and prayed that we would meet somebody that would tell us about Mack," says Grace.

On Thursday, August 2, 2001, at the place where his buddy’s name is engraved in marble at the Veterans Memorial in Marysville , CA , Harold Huggins kept that promise he made 57 years earlier. He met Mack’s sister for the very first time, gave her the kiss that Mack asked Harold to deliver, and entrusted to her the mementos from his fallen friend.

For an old soldier who wouldn't give up his search for a buddy’s long lost sister, there was a feeling of mission accomplished.

Friend, I want you to know about another Friend who died for you. In fact, He voluntarily gave His life so that you and I might live (1 Thessalonians 5:10). "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus Christ demonstrated this great love and died for our sins so that you and I might live with Him forever in heaven.

God’s mission of salvation was accomplished when Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross (Ephesians 1:7). Through Jesus, we can have forgiveness and eternal life! We must accept His gift by believing in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, if we will live faithfully to Him (1 John 1:7), one day He will take us to live with Him forever (John 14:1-3).

Won’t YOU allow His Mission to be accomplished in you?

Dear Lord, help us share the mission of salvation with those around us. Thank You for saving us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Do You Have Willing Heart?

John 13:34-35  (NIV)

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Would you like to apply for the following job?

"Wanted: Adventuresome, resourceful individuals for the job of the century! A real paradise for the taking!

"Job Responsibilities: Enforce law and order; keep track of activities and people, mostly isolated cabin dwellers, over a region of thousands of miles; keep said people in touch with the outside world (sorry, there are no radios); discourage liquor trade among the natives; and act as customs agent, mining recorder, undertaker, game warden, dentist and doctor.

"Job Requirements: The ability to navigate river rapids, ride horseback, and utilize snowshoes and dog sleds (which requires feeding the dogs, if you want to get anywhere); the willingness to log, haul and build own office and endure long periods of isolation (candidates will be shut off from the outside world for at least 8 months of the year), mosquitoes, black flies, a monotonous diet, extreme cold, and no internet or television.

"Candidates should be self-determined, between twenty-two to thirty-two years of age, powerfully built (be a superman!); they should be willing to depend on local First Nations for assistance and guidance on the many miles of rugged trails (no paved roads, sorry!); and they must abhor any drink stronger than water. No training or equipment provided."

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

What? You're not interested? How come?

Although never listed that way, this was the job description of the Northwest Mounted Policemen (NWMP) who served in the Yukon during the late 1800s and 1900s. Although a force of fifty men had been recommended, only nineteen were assigned to the job. These nineteen men received basic training, but no matter how extensively you are trained, you cannot be an expert in everything required by the above description.

What the NWMP lacked in training and experience however, they made up for with their caring attitudes. Because of the NWMP, the Yukon did not have the crime scenes that Alaskan cities endured. In fact, crime in the Yukon was very rare! But more importantly, these men were highly respected throughout the Yukon, and people, white and native alike, welcomed them into their homes with open arms.

Thinking about this, I realized how often we impact others, not necessarily with our abilities, but with our willingness to help out. It doesn't matter if we have a doctorate and 25 years of experience. Without love and the desire to help, these things are nothing more than decorations. The only services that will be remembered are those rendered out of love.

I have never heard a student exclaim: "My teacher has a doctorate! Wow!" I have heard, however, students shout out: "Hey! I'm going to be in Mrs. "D's" class! She's so cool! She really cares about her students. I can't wait!"

It's love that makes the differences, friends. And that's just what Christians are called to do. Like the NWMP, we don't need to be experts in everything. All we need is a willing heart that reflects the love of Christ.

Dear Lord, We pray today that no matter what our talents or gifts that we would show Your love to them.  Help our life have meaning today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.