Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Willingness to Serve” for Saturday, 29 November 2014 - Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-40

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Willingness to Serve” for Saturday, 29 November 2014 - Scripture: Matthew 25: The Sheep and the Goats
31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
The king will say to those on his right, “. . . 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.”[Matthew 25:34-35 (NIV)]
A friend had promised to join me at the airport to offer company and assistance while I was traveling. When I arrived, my friend was not at the airport, and I was unable to reach him. I had no money to buy a meal, no phone, and no internet access to send an e-mail; so I sat, feeling lonely and afraid as I waited for my flight. When a young man passed by, holding a cell phone, I asked him to help me send a text message. Not only did he let me make a call, but he also bought me snacks for breakfast. How did he know I was hungry?
I am grateful to God for coming to me through a stranger, who met my needs and offered me comfort. This stranger’s generous help reminded me of Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” I have learned to be vigilant, willing to offer assistance to someone in need without prompting, because in so doing, I am serving the Lord.
Read more from the author, here.
"Pastime Adventures"
By nature, I like to explore new and different ways of doing things. Sometimes the outcomes are encouraging and fulfilling, while in other cases, there is nothing much to show or rejoice about in undertaking the new venture. At such times, I look back and wish that I had not spent the efforts and the resources on a particular adventure.
My latest such adventure was when I began to raise rabbits a few months ago. At the time, there was widespread publicity about how profitable rabbit farming can be with ready markets all over the place. Besides, a close family member and her friend had convinced me that there was no reason whatsoever to shy away from the initiative.  They offered to assist with the marketing for a small commission.
Several months later, we have the beautiful rabbits, whose population keeps growing, their upkeep expenses building up with no accessible markets in sight. Follow-up conversations with the close family member and friend about the initially available markets have led to a loud silence. Nonetheless, I have come to realize a growing emotional attachment and a sense of gratification every time as I visit the rabbit hutch to give them food and watch them nibble and chew the leaves they are offered as their meals. It all makes me feel good just having them, even though there is no money return from the venture – at least for now.
Prior to this undertaking, few people in our neighborhood would see the sense in trying to do kitchen gardening in an urban setting within the capital city. I can’t wholly capture the economic benefits we as a family together with our skeptical neighbors drew from our small kitchen garden, but I rejoiced at the fact that this small initiative opened a transformative debate in the community that acted as an eye opener to many people. Not only did the neighbors begin to do their own kitchen gardening, but there also arose a rowing interest in agribusiness ventures that are modeled around the same concepts we used due to limited space.
I have never been able to undertake any major assignments in a formalized setting to improve the quality of life for a community and help reduce poverty.  This is one my heart’s overriding desires.  But from these small experiences, I have learned that even small undertakings can have unprecedented impact for the individual and his or her neighbors. I am excited and delighted that even though I have not been able to serve the community in an organized formal setting, God has used my little acts to impact the lives of the people around me in more significant ways than I would have ever imagined.[Philip Polo]
The Author: Philip Polo (Nairobi, Kenya)
Thought for the Day: What opportunities are available for me to minister to the people I encounter today?
Prayer: Thank you, dear God, for your abundant and loving care. Give us a discerning spirit and willingness to assist those in need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: People who are traveling
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