You Can Because He Did

You can feel bad for orphans who live in shacks halfway around the world, but if it doesn’t move you enough to do something about it, you might be missing what God has called each of us to do. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the widows. Defend the cause of the poor. Speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Help the weak. Rescue those who are oppressed. Be generous. Show mercy. These are all missions! I didn’t make them up. They are all found in Scripture. (See, for example, the Scripture readings for today.)

As Jesus says in Matthew 25, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me…. I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

You might think of excuses like, It’s too hard. I don’t know where to start. I’m sick/tired/broke/busy. The good news is that your mission is always possible when God is involved. Jesus defeated death. Because we serve a God who has rattled the gates of hell and trampled over death, you can fulfill whatever He has called you to do.

As your relationship with God deepens, you will become more aware of His promptings, whether through the whispers in your heart or the principles that come alive in His Word. You will not only understand but truly believe you are God’s masterpiece, created to do good things He prepared beforehand for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). You will become more intentional in living a mission-possible life, using your gifts to further the greater purpose of serving God, not just yourself. You will impact people, and your efforts will affect eternity.

God is in this with you. He is beside you. He is rooting for you, and he is fighting for you. Remember, with Him, all things are possible.

What excuses are you most likely to make when God’s calling seems too big to you? Why would a deepening relationship with God help those excuses lose their power?

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Isa. 1:17 ESV

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Matt. 25:34‭-‬45 ESV

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Luke 14:12‭-‬14 ESV