The Least of These

In Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV) Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and goats. In this parable He speaks of the time in which the Son Of Man shall return with all the holy angels to sit upon the throne of His glory.  He then states that He will separate all nations as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. In verses 34-40 Jesus says "Then shall the king say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Then in verses 41-45 the King addresses the group on his left hand and advises them that they did none of these things for Him. They then state that they never saw Him in need. He responds to them by saying "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to  Me."

Often times we see homeless people sleeping under bridges, on benches, in tents, or in whatever other make shift dwelling they can construct with the materials they have available to them. We have all been approached at one time or another by a person asking for money in order to buy food, and something to drink. We have all more than likely seen homeless people out in the cold, with no coat or jacket, no shoes, and without warm clothing. The unfortunate thing is, that many people upon running across someone like this immediately judge them, and opt to either ignore them, tell them to get a job, curse them out, or even choose to verbally or physically abuse them. People do this without even knowing or wondering about the person's individual story. You hear people say things like, "look at that lazy bum", "he/she should get a job",  "I work, and I work hard for my money," "Look at that drunk, he/she doesn't want food they want liquor." This ungodly attitude breaks my heart."

Have you ever seen someone homeless, and actually took the time to wonder how they landed in that position? How many of you are one paycheck away from falling behind on your house note, and eventually losing your homes? How many of you have been searching high and low for a job, and have turned up nothing? How many of you have been addicted to a substance, and know firsthand how hard it is to conquer that addiction? How many of you have had a complete nervous break down, one in which you lose touch with reality? How many of you have considered that among some of these homeless individuals are veterans of our armed forces who fought for your right to live free?

Let me encourage you to think about what you say, and how you choose to react the next time you see someone in need. I myself have fallen on hard times in my life, and there is one difference between me and those people you see on the street without shelter. I am blessed to have a large family and a group of friends that love me.  I am blessed to the degree that I have a Father, Mother, Sisters, and Brothers that are there for me any time I need them, and I am there for them. I am blessed with  Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends that I can turn to, if I ever need them. The sad thing is many of these homeless people we see have absolutely no one.

The fact that some people are homeless because they are lazy, have mistreated people who loved them, or for other reasons that they themselves brought on does not elude me. The thing about this is we should remember that God knows their hearts. If we do a good deed for them we will be rewarded for it, and God will handle them on judgment day.

Let's think before we speak, and react the next time we see a homeless person, or come across someone in need. Remember we don't know their story. I don't know about you, but when I stand before God on judgment day I want him to be able to say that I did not turn my back on one of the least of these.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message, and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.