“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'”  Matthew 25:34-35 (NKJV)

Isn’t it quite amazing to think that we can actually feed our God?  That we can give Him drink.  Provide Him with something to warm Himself.  Take Him into our lives and shelter Him. Visit Him and go to Him when He needs.

Are you wonder how that can truly be?

So did those who He was giving His kingdom to.

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?  When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?”  Matthew 25:37-39 (NIV)

They wondered too.  It is one of the most beautiful parts of this Scripture. They didn’t know they were tending to the Lord when they did what they did.  Instead, they just did it. They weren’t trying to live out their faith for others to see, or prove that they were doing more for God.  They saw a person in need and nourished them.  Plain and simple.  They did the right thing because it, indeed, was the right thing to do.

And in doing so, doing so without even knowing it, they nourished God.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me.'”  Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Sometimes we complicate life by trying to find a reason to do good.  Trying to connect it to our faith, to ourselves, to our ego or to benefit a cause we are passionate about.   But here, Jesus shows us that when we do something for someone who has little influence in our lives, who might seem insignificant in our day, who will gain us little, who we may not even realize it matters to, we are doing something mighty for not only them, but Him.

It’s not just feeding them food they can eat or giving them a cold beverage to drink.  It’s not limited to building shelters and collecting clothes.  It’s not always about running prison ministries or visiting hospitals.  Those are all good things, and good things to do. But is it possible that we are missing the impact that can happen in our everyday lives and ways when we come in contact with the souls that intersect our paths?  The ones we brush off as not mattering.  Everyone loves a party or a feast as it does feed the soul, but truth be told, growth and maintenance in life occur through daily nourishment.  Those bigger and occasional events are not consistent enough to sustain us or anyone else.

As we’ve seen before, what causes a life to grow is more than mere basics.  Food is anything that nourishes life to grow, reach or maintain a healthy status.  Drink is not so different.  In fact, in God’s word, it often refers to the nourishment of His word in our lives as being like a refreshing drink.  Something we can lap up to make us reinvigorated or new again. We are often told to take shelter in God’s wings.  Hence, shelter isn’t limited to a physical dwelling that protects us from the elements.  All of the things that can be done for another hold the potential to go deeper than the superficial treatment we so often accord them…

In fact, in this Scripture, He emphasizes the importance of encouraging the human soul by extending what we can do for another beyond merely providing for their material needs. Did you catch the end of that first verse?

“…I was sick you visited Me, I was in prison you came to Me…” (NKJV)

Most of the time, it is not about solving all of someone’s problems.  Truly, that is not our job.  God doesn’t need us to be the doctor for another; coming only to their bedside when something can be healed or fixed or has come to an end.  Rather, there’s more to be said about the opportunities for faithfulness, companionship, warmth, kindness, truth, caring, love, generosity with time, hope and encouragement.  Those gifts are more valuable to a soul suffering from an illness than many will know until they, too, travel in those shoes.

Further, a prison can be “any place of confinement or involuntary restraint.”  Sometimes, for all sorts of reasons, someone can become confined to their home, to their life, to another such that they do not have true freedom to come to where you are.  It could be depression. It could be financial restraints.  It could be fear.  It could involve having to take care of another that limits a soul from being able to go out and be nourished.  It could be the effects of neglect or abuse. It could be the symptoms of an illness or disease that limits the boundaries of their world.  Prisons are not limited to cement rooms given to only those who commit crimes.  They can exist in a home or a life very near to yours…

Yes, Jesus wants us to clothe, feed and help those who have physical needs, but He also wants us to look to those who we might not easily see as being in need.  Without even realizing it, you may know someone whose life is changing and they feel incredibly vulnerable to the judgment and harshness of others.  They may need to be clothed with acceptance, gentleness, and warmth that can only come from a kind smile, open eyes and listening ears.  Your hug may just be the cloak their shoulders and arms need to brush off the cold disdain of the world around them.

And when life shuffles things around in its myriad of twists and turns, as it so often does, a person may feel like stranger in a familiar but new and foreign land.  Consider a neighbor making a job change.  The friend going through a divorce.  The child starting the first day of a new school.  Can you find a way to make them feel welcome?  To allow them your time and help them to feel connected again?

Can we now see Him better in this world?  In the faces of those before us?

Let us begin to trust and be amazed by the many opportunities that arise and allow us to nourish others well, because, in doing so, we are actually nourishing God with and by our faithfulness…

And that, my friends, is truly amazing!

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”  John 13:17  (NIV)