The following is from Matthew 25:31-40. Jesus is teaching, and as he often does, he is doing so by using parables. This passage is from the parable of the sheep and the goats.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
In December of 2005 I was in Naples, Florida enjoying a golf trip with a group of friends. We would rise early, go on a prayer and fellowship walk on the beach, grab breakfast, go play golf, grab dinner, then just hang out, fellowship, and wait for the next day to get up and do the same thing all over again. it was a great trip!
But that is not not what I remember most about that trip. If you recall, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina pushed ashore near New Orleans. We know now that Hurricane Katrina is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall. At least 1,836 people died in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane; total property damage was estimated at $81 billion nearly triple the damage wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The most significant number of deaths occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana, which flooded as the levee system catastrophically failed, in many cases hours after the storm had moved inland. Eventually 80% of the city and large tracts of neighboring parishes became flooded, and the flood waters lingered for weeks. I am sure many of us still have mental pictures in our mind of the destruction and of the tens of thousands of people wandering the streets after their homes had been destroyed or literally washed away.
Now flash forward to December of 2005. I am in Naples Florida, staying in a nice condo, walking on the beach each morning, not worrying about my next meal, playing golf, and enjoying all the comforts and pleasures that Naples. I wasn’t even thinking about Hurricane Katrina or the people of New Orleans and coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. That is until one morning on one of our prayer walks.
That particular morning God decide to speak to in a profound an life changing way. As we walked along the beach, and as gazed west across the Gulf of Mexico toward New Orleans, God brought the circumstances there to mind and I began to have this dialog with Him. I started to question why I was so fortunate to be where I was both literally (very comfortable in Naples) and metaphorically (healthy, wealthy, and with no real worries in life). Why was I where I was, while those in New Orleans had lost everything (homes,belongings, and even loved ones) and were wandering the streets or living in make shift shelters not knowing what their future was. Why am I blessed with plenty while others are not, and why am I not suffering great loss and hardship, while others are? There was no good, reasonable answer. But, as I wrestled with God about this, he led me to the scripture above. And while the scripture did not answer the question, (I have determined that I will never know the answer to the question) it did give me very clear direction about what I am to do because I am fortunate to be blessed by the God of the universe.
I knew from that day forward that one of my callings in life and one of the gifts God has blessed me with is to give; give of my finances, my time, and my talents to help those less fortunate.
It was really powerful too, because it was right at Christmas time and God spoke to me and said “It is my son Jesus’ birthday. Now you know what he wants most for his birthday; he told you in the words he spoke in that passage…“Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me.”
I have never felt so much freedom, joy, peace and happiness as when I am serving and giving to others. I encourage you to consider my story and the words of Jesus this Christmas, and give Jesus the the gift he most desires! I know that, when you do, you will be Happy at Work and in Life!
Merry Christmas and God’s Peace!
