One of Jesus’ parables in Luke, Chapter 16 reminds us of the dramatic differences that still exist even today between classes of people across the globe and in our own home towns. While one rich man feasts sumptuously every day of his fortunate life, another lies starving and suffering just outside the front door, waiting with the dogs for the other man’s crumbs to fall. Too many of us turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the plight of the needy even when the striking evidence of their misery can be found just a few feet away. Yet Jesus warns us to heed His words and those of the prophets when we have the opportunity and the means to feed another. If we don’t take His message and His pleas to heart, what awaits us after a life of selfishness and ignorance is an eternity of discomfort and agonizing regret. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a time where Jesus walks among us as He did with the first disciples to regularly coach us on these things. But this doesn’t mean He is dead to us. Nor is His message outdated. On the contrary, His word is timeless. And as the David Crowder Band reminds us in the Daniel Bashta song “Like A Lion”, He’s surely alive today inside each of us, roaring like a lion. Listen to His roar inside your heart and reach out to the hungry and the poor with food for their bodies and nourishment for their souls. Feed them with the knowledge that He is alive and well in the world, vibrant and relevant inside each of us. It’s not about us, but about His never-ending love and abundant mercy exemplified by our acts of kindness through the Holy Spirit. Watch and see what happens. One kind act after another will quickly become habit-forming and contagious and the roars of the lion will soon be answered by a deafening and heavenly rejoicing. Praise be to God!
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