To The Least Of These….

I am sure a lot of us have heard this quote, “If you could walk a mile in my shoes?” A lot of times, when God sees us judging others or their different walks of life (usually we don’t perceive it as that), He will have us do just that.  He will allow us to go through trials that not only test our faith, but we oftentimes find ourselves asking: “Lord, what are you trying to teach me?”  At that moment He reminds us of the scripture:

Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

He does this to show us what it is like to be in their shoes, so we will have a better understanding of why that person is the way they are. We should then be able to see more clearly, but with His compassion and forgiveness.

God will have us go through things in our lives, to have a better understanding of someone else’s situation. For instance, if we see a homeless man on the corner asking for food or money, our human response is to become judgmental.  This type of thinking needs to be put back into Jesus’ perspective of that person.  Jesus died for that person, too.  We don’t know what their story is.  This is the reason why we need to keep our hearts open to the Holy Spirit.  He may want us to minister to them in some way.

The homeless people in this world are not just the people on the street corner asking for help. There are many people that do not know if they will have a home to go to (whether it is their eternal one or in their current lives). They may be facing foreclosure, recently lost their job, be suffering from a wrong decision they have made, and any number of things.  Something to remember:  We don’t need to be holding up a sign to be asking for help.

This is one of the reasons our own hearts need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. He may ask us to pray for that person or minister to them in another way. When we are obedient in His request, it is not just to help that person. We, as followers of Christ, are also growing in our walk with Him.  The Holy Spirit will change our perspective of how we see what God, the Father, is really like.

Matthew 25:35-36 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.

Matthew 26: 40 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.