"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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: 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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, 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 hungred, 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. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal
St. Matthew 25:31-46
St. Matthew 25:31-46
This morning I felt in my spirit a little broken. Being the caregiver of an aging parent who suffers from Alzheimers sometimes take its effect upon me. I must admit it's a downright daunting task sometimes. There's really no glory in it. There's not much time for myself and I was in one of those moments when I just wanted to be alone and to be by myself. I just wanted to be with the LORD in complete silence and meditation. So I went to my prayer closet and just lay there. Finally mom was quiet and had drifted off to sleep. This was my moment to just take a break. I took my netbook and bible with me and just got upon my knees. There was no noise. Just the sound of my tears as they hit the carpet and the vision board that I'd put down with varios scriptures of faith. All I could do was just weep silently. I knew that I was in the presence of God and someone who really cared about my feelings. Living in a day and age when the love of many are waxing cold I felt much comfort to release those tears. I can't even remember the words that I spoke to God because they were so few. But I could feel His piercing eyes as He spoke these words to me, "What you do for one of the least of these, you have done it unto Me." There was no loud preaching or big music going off in my head. There was no flaming fire appearing before my eyes. Just the still, small voice of Jesus Christ reassuring me that nothing that I do as unto Him goes unnoticed. It was in that moment that I found great peace and comfort and my heart started to smile and rejoice.
If you out there are in the labor field and you're giving all that you have to the Lord; if you're caring for an aging or sick parent; if you're supporting missionary funds or helping the homeless people you meet on the street; if you're going to the jails, nursing homes, hospitals and youth camps and witnessing to them; if you're praying day and night for lost souls and the millions of people suffering in this world; Well, sometimes you may feel that you're not even striking matches. When you put yourself up against the big evangelist and missionaries who's travelling the globe and all you seem to be getting is nowhere quick. Just remember that no good deed goes unnoticed by God. When you live a total "selfless" life to help others you will be rewarded. Sometimes you may get a bit of recognition here on earth. That's all fine and good. But the greatest reward itself will come in the end. Don't be discouraged that there seem to be no praise. There are no pats on the back. There are no award ceremonies. All of these things are temporal and will soon pass away. Do everything that you do as unto the LORD. He records every deed. He catches every tear. He hears every prayer spoken or uttured silently. God never forgets. Though many people come and go you can be assurred of the steadfast love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You can't measure your work against anyone else. God gives to us according to our several ability. Just stay focused on Christ and the work at hand that He has called you for. It is my desire to someday reach the masses and to travel and do missionary and evangelistic work. But right now God has not called me for that. Right now He has called me to be a servant to those closer to me and to labor in prayer for lost souls. He has called me to offer a smile to the people that I meet in my going and coming. He has called me to take care of my mother in her last years of life. No, there's no glory in all this. There's no recognition. Only many sleepless nights and not much time for myself. But through it all I know that God has more in store and that He never forgets. No, He never forgets!
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life.
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life.
St. Francis of Assisi
