The Eternal Importance of Caring for Each Other
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Then, the righteous will answer him saying, “When did we do all these things”… The King will reply “I tell you the truth. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers & sisters, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Cain replied, “I do not know. Am I my brother keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
All the way back to the very first book of the bible, God has more than stressed the importance of caring for one another. Cain obviously attempted to throw God a curve ball after he killed his brother and he pretended he didn’t know where his brother was. But, God knew the truth and also knew that Cain, like it or not, WAS his brother’s keeper. Today, nothing has changed. Even though when we look at the world around us and see the poverty, pain and despair on display, just like Cain, all of us still remain our brother’s keeper.
So, as a Christian community of believers, how do you think we’re doing? Good? Bad? Not-so-good? If bad or not-so-good, where do you think we’ve gone wrong? Isn’t the request to care for the least of our brothers and sisters a clear indication as to what it takes to belong to Christ and enter his kingdom? But, if we try to measure our effectiveness to fulfill what He asks of us, the math doesn’t seem to work. Some of the hard facts are:
*There are 3.4 billion professed Christians in the world, while….
*2.2 billion people have no access to clean water.
*2.1 billion try to live a $1.00/day or less
*156,000,000 children die of hunger every year. That’s 15 thousand per day!
*Local families are struggling to put gas in their cars and food on their tables!
*Churches, currently overwhelmed with people in need, are unsuccessfully attempting to fill those needs with very, limited resources.
We could go on and on, but just look around! IF THERE ARE 3.4 BILLION OF US, WHY ISN’T THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? If we actually joined together with a collection of just small donations, couldn’t we, at the very least, make even a small difference in so many lives? If not us, who else is going to step up to the plate and actually try to do something?
It’s more than just a biblical suggestion to help the least of our brothers and sisters across the world, It’s a clear and specific indicator as to how we will all be judged at the end of this age. It’s like having all the answers in advance, just before we take an important test. It is what God looks for in His people. To live for Him and actually help those who need our help so desperately. We just have to pause and think past ourselves long enough to grasp the big picture of what’s really important to God. Showing the same love for other people that He has for us; helping them in their hour(s) of need, all in Jesus name, is what we are all called to do.
Please pray that we can collectively make a difference for Him. and become a Part of the Vine. Come along for the most important venture of your life and help change the world with us….
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