In Matthew 25:34–36, Jesus paints a powerful picture of what matters most when He returns: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 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.’”
When Jesus comes to take His people home, there is really one thing He’s looking for—how well we carried out His call to love. Not how perfectly we lived. Not how loudly we defended our faith. But how faithfully we loved. That love is demonstrated in how we love God and how we love people (Matthew 22:37–39). Jesus tells us that when we care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger (literally: alien or foreigner), the sick, and the imprisoned, we are actually doing it for Him. When we choose to love “the least of these,” we are loving God Himself. That’s the life God has called us to live—one marked not by self-promotion or religious pride, but by sacrificial love.
Yet, if we look around today, it’s easy to see how distracted we’ve become. Many Christians are focused on the wrong things—calling out the sins of others, trying to legislate morality, or pointing fingers at who’s to blame for the troubles in our world. But Jesus told us there would always be troubles (John 16:33). He never promised that His followers would escape those troubles; instead, He said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” The question is, how did He overcome the world? It wasn’t through political power or military strength. It wasn’t by condemning sinners and shaming the broken. Jesus overcame the world with love. He laid down His life even for those who crucified Him (Romans 5:8).
The Gospel—the Good News—has always been about the love and grace of Jesus. He demonstrated it perfectly, and now He calls us to do the same. To feed the hungry. To give water to the thirsty. To invite the stranger in. To care for the sick. To visit the prisoner. This is not just charity—it’s discipleship. It’s how we show the world that Jesus is real. It’s how we overcome the darkness around us. We don’t fight fire with fire—we shine the light of Christ’s love by meeting other people where they are and helping where we can (Matthew 5:14–16).
The life God has called us to live is not easy, but it is simple: love God, love people, and let His love be visible in our actions. Every meal shared; every hand extended; every word of encouragement; every act of love offered: is a declaration that Jesus is alive and His Kingdom is at work all over the world. My prayer is that, as followers of Jesus, we’re not known for what or who we’re against, but for the radical love we display every day of our lives to everyone we encounter. When we love the least of these, we are loving Christ Himself—and that is the life He blesses for eternity.
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