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!

 

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

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

Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels Bill Hybels shares the passionate cry of his heart: the local church is the hope of the world and its future rests in the hands of its leaders.

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.

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