BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME — JESUS

“When we give to the poor, it is like lending to the LORD, and the LORD will pay you back” – Proverbs 19:17 (GNB).

It is said that “no person is too poor to give and no person is too rich to receive”— true! Everybody has a need and everybody has something to satisfy a particular need of another person, be it the rich or the poor. The need in question may be spiritual, physical, social or emotional. A rich person may need a godly or professional counsel from another person who may not be equally rich. We may also be able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked despite our limited personal and family finances. It is relatively easy to receive from others. On the other hand, we most often struggle to give to those who may need our assistance due to some negative human attitudes such as ingratitude, mismanagement of the gifts given, and abuse or mistreatment from persons we helped. Some people may also exploit the kindness of a particular giver. Nevertheless, giving becomes easier if we make Jesus the receiving object of our giving and accept the fact that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”.

Matthew 25:31-44 is one of the most revealing Bible passages on the Second Coming of Jesus and the final judgment of all things. The passage highlights the importance of meeting the needs of other persons. It particularly links true righteousness to meeting the needs of strangers, prisoners, the hungry, the thirster, the naked, and the sick. “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me’” (vv. 34-35 (GNB)). The pronoun ‘I’, which appears three times in the foregoing scripture, refers to the ‘King’, who is Jesus. This means that Jesus appreciates and rewards every kindness we show to other people irrespective of their attitude. Therefore, do not get tired of doing good; Jesus has a reward for you in this life and in Heaven (Galatians 6:7-10). Giving is ultimately more beneficial to the giver. Therefore, do not give up on giving!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Daily Wisdom

                                       Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                      Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com