Mat 25:34 (NIV) Then the King (Jesus) 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.” Jesus, help me get the spiritual implications of this illustration: If I were to take a class on a certain subject, it would be important to make sure I was studying the right material. If I were preparing a dessert from scratch, I would want to follow the recipe to the letter. Since I am living the life that You gave me, help me be sure I am living it the way You designed it and me to live. Jesus, You say, in Matthew 25:34-40, what You want me to be doing while living on this planet.

Mat 25:35-36 (NIV) “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.” Jesus, this assignment sounds simple enough, if You wouldn’t put Yourself in the senerio. How are Christians going to feed You, give You a drink, visit You as a stranger, give clothes to You, take care of You when You are sick, or visit You in prison?

Mat 25:37-39 (NIV) 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?” Jesus, help me understand that there are people who are trying to be a good Christian by reading their Bible, going to church, singing very worshipful and praising songs, reading good Christain books, and listening to sermons all week long; and, make it clear that it is VERY important that they be doing all these things. But, show me that this is the extent of their involvement with You. They never reach out and help the hurting and needy around them.

Mat 25:40 (NIV) The King (Jesus) will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”Jesus, teach me that when I pray and ASK You to help me reach out to people who are suffering like I am, I am not just being nice to them. You actually see it as me doing it for You personally. Show me why You would care so much about whether or not I help hurting people when I am going through pain myself. Help me understand that this is the problem: EVERYONE is hurting! As long as every hurting person goes around trying to get someone to help them, there will be no one to respond; because, everyone is hurting.

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. Jesus, now that I know You take all my reaching out to other people personally, show me what kind of personal acts You are looking for. Help me understand that You aren’t just looking for me to reach out to dramatic personal needs, You are just looking for me to see someone who can’t help themselves with some human need. Jesus, since obviously I can’t meet everyone’s needs that can’t help themselves, help me listen to You. Teach me that, that is why I am praying and ASKING You to guide me to the PERSON that You want ME to reach out to.

Acts 10:38 (NIV) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. Jesus, as people experience You working through me helping them with their pains and needs that they can’t take care of themselves, show me that it opens the door for me to share You and all You have to offer. Help me follow this pattern: 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.

Jesus, make it clear to me that my ability to help hurting people comes out of my spiritual power. Without Your mighty power in my life, I won’t care, I won’t have the resources, and I will end up at the wrong place at the wrong time, doing and saying the wrong things to the wrong people. Help me keep in mind that there are people who do a great job of fooling me into thinking they can’t help themselves. And, there are people who have a real need; but, You want someone else meeting that need. And, there are people that You want me to help; but, they struggle with letting people help them. Help me pray and ASK You to guide me in the direction YOU want me to go.

Luke 6:38 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Jesus, help me be able to give to the right person, at the right time, with the right kind of help. Show me that they need me to be there when they need me. Give me the resources so I will have what I need. And, empower and train me so I will be ready to go as the needs arise.