‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matt 25:34-40 (NLT)
Dear Lord Jesus, it’s cold—dangerously cold. Thankfully, I hear the gentle purr of my heating system obeying the number I punched in on the thermostat. I’m enjoying a fresh cup of warm coffee, knowing that as soon as I’m ready for breakfast, I have ample culinary options from which to choose to satisfy my morning hunger. I’m sheltered, clothed, and comfortable; and I take none of it for granted. There’s nothing I have that I haven’t received from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness and generosity, to me, and my family.
And it’s precisely because of your mercy and generosity to me, that this Scripture lands on my heart today with much convicting power today. It’s not about guilt; it’s all about grace, Jesus—100% about the greatness of your grace.
I readily lift my hands to praise and worship you in corporate worship; yet you prefer those same hands to be extended on behalf of the hungry and thirsty, strangers and the unclothed, the sick and imprisoned. What more could I possibly want to do with the rest of my life than to love you as you love to be loved, Lord Jesus? So very Amen I pray, in your mercy-full and grace-full name.