40"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 - P121
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.’
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
- P121
In this vision of judgment, Jesus tells of a defining marker between the sheep and the goats. The sheep are the blessed, righteous ones who enter the kingdom and receive their inheritance. They have shown compassion to others and were quick to help those in need. Jesus explains that when we care for His brothers and sisters, we are showing care for Him. His examples encourage us to look out especially for those who have physical needs or for those who could benefit from hospitality or a word of encouragement. We are reminded that the righteous sheep reflect the compassion and love of Christ and that every act of service to others is precious in His sight.
- P122
Dear Lord, thank You for always providing for me. Forgive me for the times I fail to care for the people around me. Show me how I can better serve You by showing Your comfort and care to my brothers and sisters. In Your name I pray, amen. - P123
On the other side, there are the goats who are cursed and commanded todepart from the King. The goats go away to eternal punishment becausethey have ignored the needy and shown them no care or compassion. Wecan sin against God not only by committing flagrantly sinful acts, but alsoby sins of omission in which we do not do the good that God commandsus to do. If we truly love the Lord and seek to follow His ways, then oureyes and hearts will be inclined to bless those around us. - P122
May we not allowselfishness or laziness to prevent us from demonstrating God‘s righteousnessand care. Let us seek the Lord and allow His Spirit to lead us to those inneed of His care and hospitality. - P122
I still use social media because I tell myself that I need to know what isgoing on in people‘s lives. However, I no longer feel comfortable with beinga simple spectator. Now, whenever I go online, I have made it my goal toencourage someone with my words. I do not offer a simple "like" or emoji.
Rather, I look to say something that will brighten a person‘s day and showinterest in their lives. With this approach, I have been able to have moremeaningful conversations and reconnect with people I have not talked toin a while.
Sometimes I get angry or cynical about something I have read online, butto build and thatadvertisers want this reaction because it leads to further engagement. Goingforward, I aim to shine more of Christ‘s light in these online spaces. - P123
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