What Made Jesus Mad?Намуна

Jesus was very clear that we do need to be personally involved in loving and saving and serving those who are in trouble around us. He goes so far as to say that we’re not really even serving those who are “the least” when we do this, but actually serving Jesus himself. 

It’s mind boggling, isn’t it? This really messes with me. If I understand it correctly, that means that when I get off the interstate at my exit for home and there is a despondent looking guy holding up a sad story written on cardboard about how he needs a handout for some reason, that’s Jesus? What’s more confusing is that I actually followed that guy one time back to his car that he had hidden down the road and it didn’t look like Jesus’ car. It was nicer than mine!

I know there are many who are truly destitute and have no choice but to ask for handouts. But I’ve also talked to people who used to panhandle for a living, and they made more money doing that than most do at a real job. So how am I to know when to roll down my window and give? 

When it comes to helping the “least of these,” it’s not about them; it’s about you. It’s not about we, it’s about me. Why am I so convinced? Because Jesus is always concerned with the root of all problems, which is our hearts. If the person I serve, the “least of these,” is really Jesus, then isn’t he trying to show us that visiting, giving, feeding, and clothing the less fortunate might just as much be for our benefit as for theirs. What we’re missing is a very important cardiac therapy for our own souls. 

How is God challenging you today to break down a boundary and serve the “least of these” around you? What do you need to do to take a step towards serving the “least of these” today?  

Take the next step with the book What Made Jesus Mad?: http://bit.ly/2VA4Ysj