And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17 KJV)
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| Mountains in Mexico From https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Rio_Santiago.jpg |
Several years ago the church I was active in organized a mission trip (for youth and adults) to Mexico. They went during the school district’s spring break. Due to circumstances beyond my control (and a lack of a passport), I was unable to participate.
The goal of the trip was to spread the love of Jesus to those who were needy in a variety of ways—physical and spiritual. In doing this, they “gave a cup of water” to people who were thirsty—spiritually, as well as physically, or provided clothing to those who were naked (see Matthew 25:31-46).
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
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 hungred, 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 hungred, 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 shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, 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.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
(Matthew 25:31-46 KJV)
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| Mexican slums From https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Ramos_Arizpe_slums.jpg |
Jesus’ words from the gospel of Matthew shared above, should convict us and point us to reach out to others who are suffering and in need—whether they are in another country or in our community. How we treat others does matter—as we care for them, we care for Jesus! What we do really does matter, and as we can see from the Colossians passage (above) all that we do, should be able to be done in Jesus’ name. (That in and of itself should cause us to stop and assess the things we do and how we spend our time.)
How does this change how we view the world and our responsibility in it?
It is through giving of ourselves that we truly receive. In fact, it is through serving others that we are served (ministered to). I have heard stories from people who visited a church member who was dying from cancer. They went to bless her; however, they left blessed—feeling they had received far more than they gave her. (In blessing others, we are blessed.)
We do not have to go all that far (or spend a large sum of money) to do mission work or to serve others in the name of Jesus. My guess is we may have neighbors (next door, across the street, behind us) who are hurting and in need in ways that we could not fathom. (They may have an abundance of “worldly goods”; while their souls languish.)
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| Mountains in Mexico From https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Sierra_Madre_Occidental.jpg |
Many around us are hurting and struggling in a variety of ways and need to experience the love of Christ every bit as much as the precious people of Mexico. Take a look around you—the possibilities and endless! What we do for others should be done in the name of Jesus (no matter where we are located geographically). As we serve from our hearts, expecting nothing in return, transformation happens—within ourselves and within those we help. Our actions could possibly lead another person into God’s kingdom.
How have you served or how are you serving in Jesus’ name?
What have you experienced on a mission trip?
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear Lord of Love, guide us in our service to those around us; help us to do what we do in the name of Jesus, expecting nothing in return. Thank You for all of Your many blessings on our lives—may we in turn bless others. Inspire us to use our gifts and talents to benefit others and You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
