The story is told of a young boy walking along the seashore, throwing in starfish as he encounters them. A man walks up to the boy and asked, “hat are you doing?” The boy responds, “Saving the lives of Starfish.” The man looks at the boy skeptically and says, “Son, there are hundreds of starfish on this beach, you can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy thought for a moment, reached down, picked up a starfish, looked at it for a moment, and then through it back into the ocean. Then looking up at the man, he said quietly, “I made a difference in that one’s life.” We may often wonder if our helping others makes any impact on the world. Yet, if we talk to the few that we help, we will find that our impact is more significant that we ever realized! We need to understand that God will bless our loving service to others according to His plan and purpose. We may not receive the pats on the back that we desire, but those acts do not go unnoticed, and they do bring blessing both to us and to those whom we serve. The true goal of … READ MORE

As we continue consider the parable found in Matthew 25, we are reminded that God will judge us based on our loving service (Matthew 25:32-34). Understand, our service is an indication of our relationship. Jesus used the images of sheep and goats to describe two different groups of people based on how well they served those who were in need around them. Notice the surprise of the sheep, who could not recall ever having helped the King in His moment of distress. All they saw was either the suffering who needed help and acted compassionately toward them or the “rabble” just looking for a handout and turned the other way, surmising that their plight was what they deserved. We are reminded that we have a responsibility to be personally and intimately involved in our giving. In this process we need to remember that it is our loving service, not the gift giving that we are called to do. We are reminded that we have no excuse to neglect those who have deep needs, and we cannot hand over this responsibility to the church or government. Jesus Demands our personal involvement. What we do may look different for each person, but … READ MORE

In Matthew 25:31-36, Jesus shares a parable that challenges the hearers to service. In verses 31-32a he challenges us to Loving Service, then in verses 35-36 He calls us to simple service. All of the things he talks about in this passage can be done by anyone, at any time, at any age. Jesus is not telling us to fix all the world’s problems in one shot; rather He invites us to make a difference in a simple fashion: one person at a time. Jesus equates our acts of kindness on behalf of those in need around us as acts of kindness given to Him. Deitrich Bonhoeffer correctly interprets this saying of Christ as, “I Jesus, the service of God and the service of the least of the brethren were one.” While it is true that the type of service we are called by God to engage in is simple, that is not to say that it is without cost to us. The acts which Christ mentions in this passage all have a ring of personal compassion, and requires more than simply writing a check to charity. It is a call to become personally involved in the lives of those … READ MORE