Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. They say it is going to be 50° and windy today which should finish off the lingering snow and dry the ground. My God thinks of everything. I had a dream a few nights ago and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to shake the image of what I saw. In this dream, I got out of bed and raised the shade to my bedroom window that faces the barn, and what I saw took my breath away! The snow was deep and there were people for as far as my eyes could see…all of them headed to The Well. They weren’t the usual bright and beautiful faces I see on Sundays, these people were tired, sick, hungry, scared, and broken – each one desperately looking for Hope. In my dream, I didn’t hesitate to get dressed on a cold winter morning and head down to the barn to help those desperate strangers. No doubt some needed food. Some needed shelter. Some needed rest. Some needed love but they ALL needed Jesus and I was just the one to Share Him with them. As I continue to ponder that dream, it has become clear to me that the God of all Creation painted an image of everyday life on this earth. Each one of us is surrounded by tired, sick, hungry, scared, and broken people looking for Hope. What we do with them paints a picture of the Depth and Degree of our Faith. “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. Isn’t that the way you see the Journey of Faith too?

It can be so easy to look the other way – especially in a world of tight schedules and more distractions than we can shake a stick at, but we miss out on what Jesus has for us (all) when we do. In my dream, when I saw all those faces desperate for Hope, I was immediately overwhelmed with compassion and, to the extent possible, I could FEEL their pain and fear. I didn’t stop to think through anything whatsoever, instead, I rushed to Serve them just the way Jesus would. I didn’t think about the fact that they were all “strangers” – and desperate ones at that – the Bible says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it”. I didn’t think about how some of the desperate ones might be “criminals”, instead, I remembered what the Bible says, “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering”. I didn’t worry about how I would feed them because the Bible says “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them”. I didn’t have one single fearful (or doubtful) thought, I was Focused on Love instead and I Knew that He brought them here for a Purpose. I Knew in my Spirit that God would Provide for all the physical needs no matter how many people showed up. My “job” was to show them unconditional Love and to tell them about my Jesus and I was confident that He would take care of the rest.

There is no doubt that God uses me (and countless others) to warn the world about the consequences of not following Him and the high stakes of ignoring the needs of the desperate ones. Some people stay clear of me because they get sick of hearing it but as long as the Bible isn’t sick of “saying” it, I won’t be shutting up. Some people roll their eyes when I quote (for the millionth time) “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever YOU DID NOT DO for one of the least of these, you DID NOT DO FOR ME.’ Some people laugh in my face and tell me to “lighten up” but that’s never going to happen. Jesus doesn’t want anybody to perish so if my fellow Believers think they won’t have a price to pay for refusing to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the dark world or for refusing to “do for the least of these” I’d say they might want to spend a little time in His Word. He will set them straight…hopefully before they hear “Depart from me, I never knew you”.

I’m very grateful for that dream because it served as a reminder to me of my Purpose and what the Living God expects of ALL of His people. The tired, sick, hungry, scared, and broken ones are everywhere but even the churches don’t see them…or they refuse to look. The desperate ones are on every corner…school…office…restaurant…gym…and though their needs vary, the Solution is all the same. They need Jesus. I don’t need to go looking for the desperate ones (nobody does), He’ll bring them to me instead and when He does I can choose to serve them and love them just the way Jesus did OR to ignore them completely and take the chance of hearing “I NEVER KNEW YOU”. The desperate ones may not be lined up here as far as the eye can see and they probably won’t be walking through the snow to get to The Well but one by one I’ll serve them all the same because the One who died for me said, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my Jesus. He died for me…I live for Him.

How about you?