Called To Care

CALLED TO CARE

MAIN TEXT: MATTHEW 14:15

And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

MATTHEW 14:16

But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

God calls believers to show their love and gratitude for Him in their good works of hospitality, compassion, and care. We have been called to care for others just as our father Abraham did and ultimately our father in heaven. We are called to care by preaching out to the homeless, the hungry and to the heart broken. Our Lord Jesus, who is our role model exemplified it in the way He responded to those people we consider beyond help. His ability and willingness to go beyond social barriers to help lepers and social outcasts went far beyond the normal expectation of what a good person would do. Even in the agony of His own suffering, Jesus reached out to a dying man everyone else regarded as beyond help.

The man was a criminal, condemned to die and only hours from entering a lost eternity. In that moment, Jesus responded to the man’s cry for help and said “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke. 23:43).

Do you know someone who seems beyond help today? Perhaps, you think you are without hope. The God of the Bible specializes in giving help to those regarded as so old, so guilty or so weak as to be beyond help. By putting ourselves in the shoes of others and allowing our hearts to feel compassion, we can help those who are hurt. We can be near them as God is with us and sit close to them. At the right time, the Holy Spirit will give us a word to say if they are needed; words that will portray our feelings of care towards them.

In Heb. 13 Paul wrote “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some has unwillingly entertained angels (v2). This is probably referring to Abraham when he entertained three men who came to tell him that he will soon have a son.

Bible commentator F.F. Bruce says about Abraham, “Among the Jews, Abraham was regarded as outstanding for his hospitality as (he was) for his other virtues; a true son of Abraham must be hospitable too”.

Today, let us respond to the call to care, just like our Lord Jesus Christ and father Abraham. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. Now we are to walk in love ad imitate Him.

CALLED TO IMITATE OUR MASTER, WE MUST RESPOND.

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES: GEN. 18:1-8; HEB. 13:1-3.