Serving Jesus

Photo by Rémi Walle on Unsplash

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. -Matthew 25:35-36

Jesus says, in this scripture, that even though we don’t physically serve Him in person, we are most certainly tending to Him when we serve others. Every person we encounter is Jesus. We are serving Jesus when we serve others, no matter how big or small the task.

We can all accept that thought. It’s comforting to think that the people we have helped in the past were Jesus. And although, the thought of that makes us feel good, we can’t ignore the other side. If serving others means we serve Jesus, then ignoring others is ignoring Jesus. In fact, we are walking away from Jesus when we choose to turn away from those in need. Now that’s a little harder to swallow.

How we treat others is a pretty clear picture of how we treat Jesus. It’s safe to say that throughout any given day we are smiling at Jesus, grumping at Jesus, praying with Jesus and yelling at Jesus. Maybe it’s time we evaluate how we treat others. Maybe it’s time we think deeper about our relationship with Christ.

Dear God, help me to think of these truths when I am with others. Let me see blessings, instead of sacrifices. Forgive me for the times I have ignored you and change my heart so that I can love you better by loving others well. Give me opportunities to feed you and clothe you and visit you and care for you. Amen