GOAT Does Not Mean Greatest Of All Time

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:31-46

The scripture reference was a bit long today, but I thought it important to get the context of God's expectation of His children - and Jesus' expectation of those who call Him Lord. The homeless in this country live lives closest to those in Haiti. We live in the "land of opportunity". For the people in a country like Haiti - life is as good as it gets, there is no opportunity for an easier life for the majority of the population. As many of you know, Martie and I have a disaster relief ministry which involves helping people restore their homes after a natural disaster. We tell the people our goal is that their home will be sanitary, safe, and secure when we are done. We have also built homes in Haiti. Not three bedroom two bath homes. They don't have a sanitation system in Haiti - no water treatment plants - no sewer systems.

We haven't lived in Haiti since 2015. Now I get up in the morning to use the bathroom and don't have to wonder if there is enough water in the water storage tank on the roof to flush the toilet. I turn on a light knowing there is electricity waiting to flow through the wires - I don't have to use a flashlight to see. I get a cup of coffee from a pot that I programmed to make the coffee half an hour before I get up with water I got from the faucet and not a 5 gallon jug of purified water. I turn on my computer connected to a router - and don't have to use my phone as a hotspot when I write a devotion, like this one, to post on the internet and Facebook. It has been all too easy for me to slip back into the "groove" and ease of life in this country. Life is not so easy for people in other countries. Lord don't let me become like Cain because I know that "I am my brother's keeper."

 

This is a family that we and our Haitian partners built a small home for a year or so ago. This shack is not atypical of what many families use as a shelter in the mountains. That is not to say that there aren't families living in better structures, there are, but if you were driving past this shack in your airconditioned vehicle with your stomach full and your body well hydrated what would be your thoughts? Perhaps, "There but for the grace of God go I." You take a picture like you are on safari and by the time you round the bend in the road you are looking for the next photo opp. You might be thinking - "No that is not what I would do!" Let's be real! What could you do for that family? Perhaps I should ask the question in another way. What could God do through you? When we ultimately stand before the Lord, what will He say when we ask Him, "Lord when did we see you?" 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone