A LITTLE HELP
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March 2000
"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne in 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 His 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 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 we saw 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.'"
Matthew 25:31-40
You know, I'm an everyday practical application type of guy who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and I just thank Him for the shedding of His blood. God has blessed me with a mother who loves the Lord very much, Kay Ferguson, wife of Loren Ferguson, and they are Bible-believing, Christ-centered people, parents and friends. My mother sent me a short poem that was written by Edwin Markham, simply called. "A Parable." The story touched my heart, inspiring me to think about my service in Christ Jesus.
The story is centered on a kindly cobbler named Conrad who had a shoe shop in a tiny village in Europe. Conrad had a dream that the Master (Jesus Christ) would visit him at his little shoe shop. So early in the morning, Conrad arose, swept, dusted, and got his little shop together. He baked some bread and cakes, and he waited with great anticipation for the Master to show up. As the day went by, Conrad saw an old man out his shop window that had no shoes on his feet, out in the cold. Moved with compassion, he brought the elderly man inside to warm up and gave him shoes for his feet.
In our society today, how many of us would stop to see how many are without clothes, shoes, coats, or even blankets?
As Conrad continued to wait for the Master to come, he heard a soft rap at the door. With great excitement he leapt to his feet and went to the door, only to see a little old lady. She had a bundle of sticks and had not eaten in some time. As first, Conrad was mad because it was not the Master. But then he was moved with compassion to bring her into the little shop and gave her all he had, including the cakes he had made for the Master. After she had finished eating, he carried her sticks for her to the edge of the village and hurried back in fear he'd miss the Master, but as he returned, the Master was not there.
How many times have we passed someone who was truly starving and didn't think about helping? I believe it is so wonderful when churches or ministries, in the name of Jesus Christ, have a soup kitchen or shelter for those who are hungry for food and thirsty for drink, and, at the same time, share the Bread of Life and the Living Water. Hebrews 13:1, 2 says this: "Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers for by doing so some unwittingly entertained angels."
As the afternoon passed, Conrad waited. Still no Master appeared. Then another soft rap at the door. His heart leapt. He ran to the door. It was a little boy. He asked Conrad to help him find his way home. Conrad didn't want to leave, but his compassion led him to help the little boy find his way home. As fast as he could, he rushed back to the shop, only to find it undisturbed. No Master to be found. Conrad cried in his heart, "Why is it, Lord, Your feet delay? Did You forget this was the day?" Then in the soft stillness of the little shop, Conrad heard a voice, "Lift up your heart. For I have kept My word. Three times I came to your friendly door, three times My shadow was on your floor."
The Master came as the old man with no shoes, the hungry old lady, and the little lost boy.
Jesus comes to us in those who do need help, are hurting, hungry, thirsty, lost, sick, or locked up in prison. The Body of Christ is to reach out and help just like Conrad did.
My parents have been faithful to visit nursing homes, and help those who are not able to get around. They fix people's homes that could not afford carpenters, plumbers, etc.
The question is, do we want to be the sheep or the goats, and do we want to be on the right hand or the left? Let's magnify the Lord Jesus Christ; bring honor and glory to Him by helping that one, or those who are in need. If we wait for the opportunity to help, we might miss it because there are people in our community right now who need a visit from the Master and the touch of the Master's hand.
(c) 2000 by Pastor Aaron D. Lint
