Matthew 25 ChallengeSample

Matthew 25 Challenge: PRAY
by Ryan Wiesner

CHALLENGE: Go out of your comfort zone to pray for your community or neighbourhood.

As a teenager, I always wanted to make a huge impact on the sports field, especially cricket. I had to be the one who took the most wickets, scored the most runs and led the team to victory. Anything less than this made my contribution feel insignificant.

In the same way, many of us want to make a difference in our world, but we feel in order to do so, it has to be in the most extravagant ways for it to be counted worthy. We think we must be the ones speaking on stage, leading the organization and calling the shots. 

However, this pressure can often paralyze us. We subtly start thinking “I can’t do that!” which often results in us doing nothing. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had this thought many a time. Yet I am encouraged by the words of Jesus: “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!’ Matthew 25:40 (NLT).

According to Jesus, we don’t have to do the biggest and most spectacular act to make a difference in our world. Jesus says whenever we do something out of love for those whom others overlook or ignore, we are doing it to Him. The Kingdom of heaven is about caring for those whom society deems ‘less than’ because Jesus sees them as equals. 

Whom do you feel is less than you?
Is there someone you feel superior to?

Maybe it’s a colleague or a family member. Maybe it’s someone that you see making poor moral choices or bad decisions. Is God challenging you to humbly pray for this person?

Maybe it’s a whole group of people who act, or look, or believe something different than you.

For example in Durban, over 4000 people call the streets home, the majority of them being Durbanites who couldn't find work. Often they are overlooked and treated poorly, and we as followers of Jesus are reminded that when we overlook and ignore “the least”, we overlook and ignore Jesus Himself. Jesus calls us to love and care for the least. When we love the least, we love Him.

The challenge today is to take a first step by spending some time in prayer for the least in our city and obeying God in whatever way He may lead you to do. As Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer”.