Today's Devotional

April 1, 2005

Subject:  Giving God A Drink

Matthew 25:42 - 45 "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

I heard a woman on TV saying, 'we didn't starve Terri Schiavo to death.  Stop using those incendiary words."  She then went on to explain in eloquent terms how the court had every right to stop them from feeding her.  I know I only have one college degree, but I think they put parents in prison if they stop feeding their children.   The devotional today isn't about the wrath and judgement that awaits those who didn't minister to Terri as one of the least of these.  It's about my responsibility and yours as Christians to see these people, hear their cries and help.  We can go to church every Sunday, sing in the choir, give all of our money to good causes and still hear God say in the end, "you didn't care for those I gave you to care for."  

We should realize once again that we were put here to minister and serve people and the gauge of how well we're doing that can be determined by how we treat the least of these.  Terri was one of the least of these and many families in our society would've been pleased to have her off of their hands.  However, the Schindler family was willing to stay with her to the end because she was valuable to them.  I think that through this all, that is a clear lesson to us.  Our hope and ability to endure is based on the value that we place on a person or object.   Terri made us look at ourselves to see how much value we place on the least of these.  And in the end it's not about Terri, it's about God.  That's who we deprive of food and water when we don't do it to the least of these.

Today, would you give God a drink, something to eat, a coat or a shirt?  He's right around the corner asking.  

Carlen