Tuesday, May 9 – Matthew 25:41-46

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

What have you often pictured yourself doing but never actually experienced? For some of us, it is a trip we haven’t taken, a sport we always wanted to try, or even people we wanted to build friendships with but never have. Those things don’t happen because we don’t devote time the to them. Sometimes, as followers of Jesus, we have grand ideas of service or volunteering, but time always seems to escape us.

Regardless of our schedules or the demands we have in life, we are called to live out our faith daily. This is not an overwhelming list of tasks that can never get done; rather, it’s a way of life that uses each moment as an opportunity to live like Christ and serve those around us. It means praying for eyes to see the least of these and for discernment about how to best serve them. Over time, these moments of opportunity build into a life that reflects Christ in His service and love for all people, especially the overlooked and oppressed. May God give us eyes to see how we can live for Him, not just in the way we follow His law, but in the way we love others and see them as He does. When we live this way, we may fall short in the eyes of the world, but we will have an eternal reward in Him.

• Who have you felt called to serve but never made the time to?
• Where can you look for opportunities to serve the least of these this week?
• Pray and ask God to give you eyes to see opportunities where you can live for Him and love others as He does.