choose to serve those in need

'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;36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' ... 40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, eventhe least of them, you did it to Me.'

Those are powerful verses, but they are also revealing verses. They look at what we are doing and how we look at people. Not everyone is as compassionate or maybe able to help others, yet every one of us can do something.

Mother Teresa may be one of the best-known people who cared for the poor in our world, but there are people in your community and mine that day in and out are helping those in the middle of pain and struggle. We need to encourage those who are serving, and we also need to do all we can to serve. Looking the other way or expecting someone else to do it all is just not an option.

What are you doing to serve those in need?

Here are some thoughts from Mother Teresa:

--- Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

--- Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

--- Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.

--- The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.

--- If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.

--- May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.

Those are powerful words much like the powerful verses I began with. This one person, Mother Teresa, made a huge difference in thousands of lives. She started by helping one person at a time. That is all God expects of us. Just start. Start today serving someone in need.

We meet people like this, those who are in need everyday. Some have big needs that food or shelter or money can meet. Some have needs that only our love and the love of God can meet. Start today serving someone in need.

Romans 15:2 NLT

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.

NOTE: This post was first shared in February of 2011.

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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