-> Will you help us Open a World of Opportunity?    
 Home > Articles > Leading in Hope > "The Least of These?"   
 

The Least of These?The Least of These?
by Bill Sherrill

Print This Article   Send it to a Friend

 
The sun rises and the sun sets. It makes its rounds each day. What has it seen? Though there is a great difference in the scenes over which it passes on its daily course, there are patterns which do not seem to change. In every country there are the rich and the poor. When Jesus said, "The poor your have with you always," (Mark 14:7) He was not limiting His pronouncement to Judea. It was a fact that would span both distance and time. Even as the Rich Man was little aware and undoubtedly unmoved by the plight of Lazarus, sitting in misery at his gate and desiring only the crumbs that fell from his table, many today with wealth to spare look the other way when poverty shows its hollow eyes and bloated bellies.

We would not deny that there are those who constantly and sacrificially pursue the benefit of the poor, but they find great resistance as they seek aid from a world blinded by its own selfishness and dying from its own overindulgence. One of the least watched programs on television is one which graphically portrays the plight of those human wretches huddled together in desperate situations, teetering on the brink of starvation. Hollow-eyed and bone-thin, they are unwanted reminders of man's inhumanity to his fellows. Those who with loud cries denounce the atrocities of the prison camps of World War II, turn a deaf ear to the cries of hungry children in an unfair and uncaring world.

The Lord is still out there in the multitudes.
In the United States, wearing bracelets with the letters WWJD on them became a fad. These initials stood for the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" Many are reminded of the acts of morality which Jesus showed by His life of purity, but few appear to be stirred by His most pointed judgement. Depicting the final judgement, Jesus sums up the lives of those blessed by the Father and those cursed for eternity. Their acts bear little resemblance to the mighty works of holiness so touted by many religious leaders in our day. Rather, His judgement fell on the simplest of things. "I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick, I was in prison." Heaven and hell hung on how one responded to these situations. Did they help or did they ignore? That was the test. The protest from both sides was, "When did we see You ... ?" And the Lord's response was, "It was what you did to the least of these that was done to Me."

It still is! The Lord is still out there in the multitudes, hungry and faint and poor. Have you fed Him? Did you give Him a drink? How would He judge you if you stood before Him today?

The sun still rises, the sun still sets and in its course it passes over the acts of man, but it is not what the sun sees that we must be concerned about, it is what the Son sees, and He sees it all!

 
Share Related
Print This ArticlePrint this Article

Send it to a FriendSend it to a Friend

Heartlight encourages you to share this material with others in church bulletins, personal emails and other non-commercial uses. Please see our Usage Guidelines for more information.
Search

      © 2004 Bill Sherrill's Thought for the Week. Used by permission.

      Title: "The Least of These?"
      Author: Bill Sherrill
      Publication Date: July 18, 2004


 
Leading in Hope
 
 
Hundreds more articles
like this are in the

ARTICLE ARCHIVE
...or search to find an article by keywords:



  Visit our Sponsors

Heartlight only exists because of your support! Click above to visit a sponsor, or donate to join us in our ministry.

   
May we suggest...
Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust
by Joshua Harris

Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against LustStraightforward without being graphic, Harris's handbook offers practical advice for combating unholy urges, preparing young people for a lifetime of resisting temptation, and embracing godly desire.

  Find More Books & Music:
Christianbook.com
Bill Sherrill Bill is a long time minister in Nacogdoches, Texas who loves world missions. His passion for ministry has led him all over the world. In addition to his work as a minister, he is also a licensed professional counselor. Bill's family is also involved in ministry and service to the world and community.

RSS 
Feed of All Heartlight ArticlesAll Heartlight Articles

'Leading in Hope' RSS 
FeedLeading in Hope

RSS Feed of Bill Sherrill's ArticlesAuthor Bill Sherrill

More Heartlight Feeds

Subscribe
Get Heartlight articles and devotionals by email FREE every day!
Daily Heartlight
Today's Verse
What Jesus Did!
Quotemeal

More Information

 

 

RSS Feeds  |  Advertising  |  Support Heartlight   |   Help  |  Contact Us  
HOME     topTOP HEARTLIGHT® Magazine is produced by Heartlight, Inc. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. PO Box 7044, Abilene, TX, USA 79608-7044. Copyright © 1996-2009. Heartlight is supported by Westover Hills Church, Southern Hills Church, and loving Christians from around the world. Scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. Used by permission. All rights reserved.