DAY 25: Compassion

What's Your Game Plan For Caring?

Matthew 25:31-46

…you gave me food… you gave me something to drink... you welcomed me… you gave me clothing… you took care of me… you visited me.


Things that automatically come to my mind when I hear people talk about serving God: becoming a missionary in Thailand, spending all my free time in a soup kitchen, and being impossibly well-behaved and never having any fun at all. I'm learning that we'll only stumble and stop if we try to reach this impossible level of "Jesus Superhero."

Something great to note about what Jesus says here in Matthew is that he mentions acts of service that we are all capable of doing. He doesn't ask us to heal the sick, but to take care of them. We don't have to free the imprisoned, but he asks us to visit them. We are simply asked to take care of each other out of gratitude for God's actions of love towards us. It also helps to spread hope and belief in God's loving and healing presence throughout the world.

All over the world, a little adds up to a lot because of the caring actions (like giving blood or contributing money to aid organizations) of ordinary people who just believe in acts of kindness and generosity. Imagine what we can do as people who have faith in a God who heals, frees, creates, welcomes, forgives, and loves! Imagine how God can use you to heal, free, create, welcome, forgive, and love through even the simplest of actions.


In what areas of my life can I give my time, talents, and possessions to serve God better through serving others?


Prayer:
Wonderful God, enable me to use what you've already given me so that I can share the good news of your love and healing with many people. Amen


Action step:
Create a game plan. What are some simple ways you can care for other people on a personal level? Some ideas: welcome visitors in church, invite someone new to worship, share a story in conversation about your faith and listen to the other person's story, volunteer in the community, or simply be a good friend to someone who needs it. Start out in simple ways and challenge yourself to do more as time goes on.

contributed by Melissa May