Taking Hold of God!
Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me’'" (NIV)
Recently I was pondering on how I could hold God in my arm? Since it seems He is the one always holding me – every time I need something, every time I seem to be hurting, every time I feel I have been offended; I just seem to be running to God all the time. Now I don’t believe that is necessarily a wrong thing to do, for in God’s Word it does say, "Come unto me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light," Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT).
What I ponder about is; in a relationship that is filled with true love there should be responses both ways. It seems that our relationship with God is always us going to Him. So, I question, "Why can’t we Take Hold of God; seek out ways to hold him, love Him and bless Him?"
Matthew 25:35, we find Jesus speaking, "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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (NIV). This is how we can Hold God in our arms. It is 'voluntary acts of self-forgetting love'1 on our part. Now the question, "How well do we accomplish this?"
- Elements of Service, Matthew 25:35-36
- To truly love God with all of our body, soul and mind is providing the necessities of life for those in need---food, water, shelter, clothing, medical aid, and fellowship. Opportunities for love service as numerous as the human needs around us
- Object of Service, Matthew 25:40
- The primary object of our service must be Christ himself. We do owe the best of our Christlike service to others in name of the Jesus Christ our Lord. Good deeds in themselves do not prove that we are Christians. So we do our service for the One we deeply love, Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Opportunity for Service, Matthew 25:40
- The need of service in the spirit of Christ is all around us. By giving ourselves as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1) unto Him we then are able to meet the many needs that is before us. "Anyone who gives…a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ…." Mark 9:41.
"For I was hungry…thirsty…a stranger…needed clothes…sick…in prison…, whatever you did for one of the least of these..., you did for Me." Matthew 25:44-45 (NIV paraphrased)
1 BBC, Vol. #6, Pg. 228
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