by Matt Schroeder
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” - Matthew 25:37-40
I am always challenged to the core when I read this passage. It stirs up a variety of emotions and feelings in me. Sometimes I’m left with great fear over my own life, seeing how little my heart breaks and goes after the poor, sick, hurting, and needy. I have a tremendous amount of room to grow in this way. Or perhaps more biblically put, there are many places remaining in my heart that the love of Christ needs to come and take control of (2 Corinthians 5).
When I read this whole chapter, I’m amazed at how Jesus separates the goats from the sheep based on how they look after and take care of those who are in need. By no means contradicting salvation through faith, rather, showing that real heart transformation is reflected in that we go to any length to look after those who need Jesus (oh and by the way, that’s EVERYONE)!
This last week I had to buy 4 new tires and 4 new wheels for my car, which ended up costing me $1,000. I didn’t have the money for that purchase, so I had to put it on my credit card. My heart was certainly heavy thinking about having to make that investment and go into significant debt. BUT God had other plans for me, and was just waiting for the right moment to blow me away. A friend in my home group at church heard what happened to my car and felt compelled by the love of Christ to do something about it. He contacted everyone in our home group and they all went in together to raise a significant amount of money to help me pay for my car repair! WHAT?! Craziness! My heart was rocked to say the least.
That’s the kind of love I believe Jesus is talking about when he wants us to go after those who are in need. He wants us to love people to the point of it costing us. Why? Because that’s the love with which He loved us! Jesus didn’t count the cost of loving sinful humanity and say, “no thanks, that’s too much, that’s too costly.” No, he gave his life, so that we might have life!
I cannot say enough about my home group and how much they have blessed my heart. But more than serving me, they served Christ. They saw need, and they met it. The love of Christ compelled their hearts to do something.
I’m praying we who profess the name of Christ will love people in such a way that it can only be explained as a supernatural love controlling our hearts!