Scripture

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.
(Matthew 25:35-36)

Devotional

This is the pedigree of those who are to inherit the Kingdom. Here we have what the ministry of the body of Christ is to be. The Word of God tells us that it is both spiritual and physical. The physical aspect is obvious. The spiritual application is likewise clearly given. Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.”(1) And “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”(2) “Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.”(3) It is not to be the religion of the “or” but the relationship of the “and”. The Church is not to be a communal entity or a spiritual entity, but it is to have both a communal and spiritual relationship. Let us feed the poor, but let us not neglect reaching the lost. It is hard to reach the hungry without feeding them, but it is foolish to feed them and not reach them for Christ.

(1) John 6:47, (2) John 4:14, (3) Matthew 22:9

Thought For The Night

“If you are a Christian, then you are a minister. A non-ministering Christian is a contradiction in terms.” D. Elton Trueblood, (1900-1994), author, educator, philosopher, and theologian was a lifelong member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Evening Text

Matthew 25:35, 36: “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.”

Looking for Answers

Can one be so heavenly minded that he or she is of no earthly good?
Should not being heavenly minded make us of great earthly good?
Is it not being earthly minded that makes us no earthly good?

Evening Study Guide

Defining: We are ministers of Christ. A minister is a servant (literally, “under-rower”). The only way we can minister to Christ is by heeding our text.

Referencing: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” James 2:14-17

Applying: Do your best to feed the spirit, soul, and body of those in need of their nourishments.