“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? “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.’

This scripture, in my opinion, should touch anyone’s heart, whether you are a believer or not for I think the masses would agree that everybody needs help because, if you’ve ever found yourself in less than desirable circumstances there is always a sense of relief when ,suddenly, a life line comes hurdling your way, diluting the overwhelming pain and pressure one might experience , even if it’s just for a moment. In the text preceding this scripture Jesus speaks of coming back in His glory, and when he does he will separate the sheep from the goats with the sheep being on the right of him, and the goats on the left. Jesus will invite all of the sheep, on his right, to partake of their inheritance for when He was hungry they did feed him, and when he was thirsty they gave him something to drink.

As a Christian, and follower of Jesus Christ we should feel compelled to help those in need whether that is assisting the sick, feeding the poor or a word of prayer for those that have lost their way.  People in need are to be considered , in our eyes, like Christ himself also needing something, and so it is in this text that we observe the righteous wondering when did we see you, meaning Christ, hungry or thirsty, and when did you witness us depriving you of food and drink? Jesus replies, ‘whatever you did for the least of my brothers of mine, you did for me’

Yikes, for when Jesus put it this way, it made the righteous stop and think just how often they had passed those less fortunate then they, and how they witnessed day in and day out the homeless begging for bread as they went to the office, and those that were thirsty for something to drink, but they walked into their comfy office and poured their cup of, imported, Colombian coffee without giving it a second thought. During this point in biblical history there was such an extreme gap in regards to rich ,and poor which begs the question even still today.

What are you walking past everyday, and what might you be neglecting or ignoring simply because it is not your problem or worse because your life is going so good you don’t want to bring it down by observing the needs of others around you? Does it take a lot away from you to encourage someone, or to buy a homeless person a meal if you have a little extra in your pocket, and can do so? Has our society, and the people in it gotten so stingy with our good fortune that we cringe at sharing what is already, spilling over, in our own pockets?

I love to serve the Lord because, he is a God that identifies himself with the sick, the poor, the unfortunate, the unemployed, the homeless, the hungry, the addicted, the lost and the wretched.  God will always come to where you are at, but he promises to never leave you where you stand. God will scoop you up in love, and show you just what type of Savior He really is. He knows your beginning from your end, and if you choose Him , if you make Him the Lord of your life you will never be begging for bread. No, you will be the lender and not the borrower.

One day my sister her husband, and I had just gotten off of the train to have a day of shopping, fun , and frolic while they were visiting me for my birthday. We had walked about two blocks from the underground train station ,where the center city business district is ,and my sister spots a couple of homeless people, and quickly reaches for her wallet, and says, “I want to bless them.”  As we three approached the lady, and two gentlemen that were sitting there we asked if they would mind if we prayed for them. Two eagerly replied yes, and the other nodded, and so we all held hands ,and bowed our heads to the heavenly Father as we asked for protection and guidance for them as the Lord showed His mighty hand in their lives.

We were so blessed to meet ,and fellowship with these folks, but what was more astonishing were the stories of their individual lives, and how they arrived in this spot. The lady was a lawyer, and came from a long line of lawyers in her family. To my surprise she said that she didn’t need to be on the streets, but due to the pressure, and responsibility, and legacy her family had she couldn’t cope, and so she felt more accepted with the people that, she felt, allowed her to be who she was inside. I grabbed her hands and prayed over her to encourage her to let God show her how to make choices that propel her into her purpose and destiny. One of the gentlemen that was sitting there was crying so hard upon our encounter, and so we three laid hands on him to encourage, and speak God’s glory into his life. To our surprise as Holy Spirit quickened scripture to our minds to speak into him it was he that new the scripture by heart; for this man that we prayed over, unbeknownst to us, use to be a Pastor.

My heart sank, and then my heart was filled with joy immediately after for this was nothing short of a divine encounter to help these very intelligent, beautiful seekers to God’s grace and mercy for their lives. As we prayed the Pastor revealed to us how much he loves God, and how he lost his way. He was scared for his son that he knew not where he was. We prayed again. It was clear that this was a miracle, but little did we know that the blessings were about to runneth over!As we looked up we noticed our gathering of the homeless had multiplied and our once 3 had gone to 12, and so lunch was purchased at a lunch cart for the bunch. We all sat, laughed , prayed ,ate ,and talked. I was speaking to a man that had third degree burns all over his body, and as I glanced at his face which resembled a melting candle stick, a man that had no ears, and sagging eyes… all I could say to him was how beautiful he was. He looked at me ,and said , “Really?!?!” I said yes, because I see past your scars, and I see your heart instead; for it is our scars our brokenness that the sweet Lord is looking for…not our so called perfection being offered up. He smiled as he bit into his gyro sandwich.

We all made a day of it, as we sat all together on the street sharing our hearts to one another. Praise the Lord for even more homeless individuals came that day, and my brother in-law led 3 into victory over their lives because, they received Christ ,that day, right on the street and right in the flourishing business district. How appropriate for we were conducting God’s business too. I love that my sister, brother in-law, and I didn’t have a clue what we would encounter that day as we got off the train, but it was the love of Christ in us all ignited by my sister wanting to stop, and bless these dear people. A random act of kindness which changed the course and direction of the day a day that was supposed to be filled with shopping for us.

We have no regrets for we were giving spiritual food to the hungry, and living water to the thirsty. We were helping our brothers and sisters in need because we know all too well what it feels like to be low in spirit and in need of help. It doesn’t take much to do just stop, and let Holy Spirit take over and I promise you He will do the rest.

May the Lord Protect & Bless You All!

DCL Ministries