I want to exhort you on one of the most played down responsibilities of the ordinary believer; reaching out.
[Matthew 25:34-40 KJV] “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: [35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: [36] Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”
[37] “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee ? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? [40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
I believe the Lord has a certain expectation of the church and the believer with respect to the less privileged and others. This is the ministry of compassion and our Christian responsibility to the less privileged.
I have no doubt that every one of us has our own need to be loved and cared for, but many of us are in the possible to help and care for others. I want to exhort you to think about creative ways to reach out to the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and incarcerated. There is a whole world of many who are bruised, maimed, halted, and broken; someone must arise and reach out to them.
Sometimes, all it takes is a hello, a text, a call, or a visit. Every one of us can do something to save the hurting, lonely, and broken world. Sometimes, just a word in season, a smile, a word of exhortation, or a warm hug would make a great difference. Any kind gesture towards a little one is a gesture towards God.
Many of us want to see Jesus; but what we miss is that any naked person, hungry person, thirsty person, stranger, and the sick person you bypassed is Jesus in the form of a man.
I pray that each of us would look just across the street to find someone we can reach out to in love.
It is important to note that if each one of us would reach out in love to others, the world would be saved and be a better place to live.
It is important to note, secondly that there are some broken people with warped emotions who will misinterpret your gesture of compassion as a show of sexual interest in them. There are also people who will try to take advantage of your kindness and compassion. You just have to be circumspect, but no matter what, love, show kindness, and help others.
Do for others what you would expect if you were in their situation. I have no doubt that we can help. We may not be able to solve all of the world’s problems but our little effort will make a big difference in other people’s lives.
I love you, stay blessed.
Pastor Noah Simpe Bediako
Amen.