12/15/07
Giving to Jesus
James’ Story
James didn’t always have such
a bad situation. There was a time when
he was married and had a family, a good job.
There was a time when James was happy, and everything seemed to be going
right. But all at once tragedy hit. James was laid off from his job, then his
wife divorced him, taking the kids with her.
James ended up living in a shelter, with no income, no family, and only
memories of what he once had.
James fell into a deep
depression. Out of desperation, James
gave in to the constant pressure to use drugs all around him. He ended up settling on crack cocaine. But James had no money to support this kind
of habit. Soon he was no longer welcome
at the shelter because of his drug use.
James ended up on the
streets, sleeping in vacant buildings, empty lots, fields, wherever he could
lay his head. By now he had been
unemployed for a while, and it seemed no business would take his application
seriously. James began to steal items
from people’s yards in order to buy crack.
James noticed that across the
street from one of the empty lots he slept in, was a church. James noticed that there were always cars
coming in and out of the parking lot of this church. There was always a lot of activity it
seemed. Especially on Wednesday evening
and on Sunday.
James would sit out on the
curb of the street and just watch the cars go by. He would watch the people going to their
destinations, and he would watch the cars pulling into the church parking lot. He often wondered what they did in the church
and how it was that they were so busy.
He felt a deep sense of loss, having no family, no schedule to keep, no
employment, no purpose.
This went on for several
months. James would sit out near the
street during the day. People would now
and then drop him a few coins, or shout insults out of their windows at him as
they drove by. James would periodically
have enough coins to buy a sandwich, about once a day at best. And at night James would find whatever items
he could find—scrap metal, bicycles, stereos from parked cars, and he would
sell these items to buy crack.
James had to fight off other
homeless people and stray dogs in order to have a place to sleep, when he slept
that is.
This is the kind of lifestyle
that James had settled into. He was
ashamed of himself, and very depressed, and it seemed to him that nobody cared,
nobody noticed, nobody truly had any concern or interest in him whatsoever. After about a year and a half of this kind of
experience, James decided that he had had enough.
It was Christmas time. And seeing all those people going in and out
of the church parking lot with their families, and watching all the shoppers
going in and out of stores with their bags, just made matters worse for
James. He felt like an island of despair
in the midst of a vast sea of indifference. Nobody saw him, nobody cared, and he had lost
everything, and he had turned into a vagrant and a thief and a drug abuser.
And so the story goes that
James, on Christmas Eve, took his own life in a vacant lot, across from a
church with a Christmas program going on.
He was found two days later by garbage collectors.
A
We are often in close
proximity to people who are in need, and yet it is easy for us to go about our
business without really thinking much about these people. But they have real lives, and real
struggles. And the truth is that every
one of us is just a paycheck or two away, or a few mishaps or losses away from
either homelessness or financial ruin.
That could be us sitting underneath that bridge, or
standing in that food line at the church that has free meals.
What really struck me about
this very real story is that the church and the people who frequented the
church were in close proximity to this man everyday, but there was no effort by
anyone to reach out to him. That effort
could have saved his life.
The holidays are not always a
glad season. Lonliness, depression,
feelings of loss, financial burdens, family conflicts, and alcohol abuse can
all intensify during the holidays. There
are people in our lives and in our path who need our understanding and our
assistance. We don’t have to have all
the answers for them. But we can
understand and listen to them, and give them honor and respect. We can be a resource person for them, and
point them to the right places.
Neglected Ones Who Gave to Jesus
Now there were in the same
country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And
behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the
Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people. For there
is born to you this day in the city of
And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke
2:8-14
Shepherds. Lowly shepherds. They lived with animals. With sheep.
Shepherds, who were looked down upon and who were considered to be in
the lower echelons of society—it was to ushers
that the angelic host appeared, announcing the most splendid news that had ever
been announced on earth.
And it was these shepherds
who were not only visited by a multitude of angels, but who were also given a
personal invitation to come and see the Baby Savior. Surely God was interested in these humble
men, whom others had passed by.
And notice how grateful these
shepherds were to have had the privilege of seeing Baby Jesus firsthand:
So it was, when the angels
had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us now go to
Luke
2:15-20
These lowly shepherds were so
gladdened and impressed by what they saw that they “made widely known”
everything they had heard and seen. They
also gave Jesus their adoration and worship.
There are other forgotten, neglected
ones throughout Jesus’ ministry who gave of themselves, and Jesus honored them
for it. One such example is the poor
widow who didn’t have much at all.
Nobody noticed her slip into the synagogue. Nobody remembered the many years she had
served God’s people in the past. She was
a forgotten one.
But Jesus noticed her. When that widow drop her two mites into the
temple treasury, in the midst of proud Pharisees and Sadducees, she was looked
down upon. But Jesus elevated her, and
honored her:
Now Jesus sat opposite the
treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who
were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in
two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself
and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more
than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their
abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole
livelihood.”
Mark
12:41-44
When the woman whom Jesus had
rescued from death—when she was caught in adultery—decided to express her
appreciation to Jesus, she anointed Him with both her tears and expensive
spikenard perfume. Jesus, instead of
dismissing her and rejecting her, as most people in the community had chosen to
do, lovingly accepted her sacrifice and act of kindness.
When others condemned her,
Jesus loved her and honored her, because He knew her heart. Jesus sent her away with a blessing:
“Your faith has saved you. Go
in peace.”
Luke
7:50
Truly the Lord understands
the struggles of our lives, and how much we want to serve Him. He takes us where we are at, and lifts us up
to where He is. He loves the neglected
ones.
What Determines Our Eternal Destiny?
You know, this is something
that really hits home with me. It
strikes right at the heart of selfishness and sin. When all the dust settles in this earth’s
history and we are at the beginning of eternity, what will be the main thing on
God’s mind? Ever wonder about that? What is the main issue to Him, as He is right
now deciding which people will live with Him forever, and which will not? Jesus tells us that when He returns, His
reward is already with Him. So He is
making decisions about our eternal destiny right now.
So what is He really looking
for, above everything else?
Jesus explains it very well:
“When the Son of Man comes in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of
His glory. All
the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand,
but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His
right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world:
Matthew
25:31-34
What determines whether or
not Jesus one day invites us into the kingdom of heaven? Is it how often we attended church? How well we knew the fundamental beliefs? How much we gave in tithe and offering?
“ . . . for I was hungry and
you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you
took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited
Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him,
saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and
give You drink? When
did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
Or when did we
see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to
them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the
least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew
25:35-40
The crucial issue that
settles forever how we will spend eternity is DID WE LOVE JESUS IN THE PERSON
OF THE NEGLECTED ONES?
“Then He will also say to
those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no
food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not
take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not
visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to
You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as
you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it
to Me.’”
Matthew
25:41-45
That’s what’s important to
God. Have we given clothing and shelter
and food to people when they needed these things? Have we cared for the sick and the suffering
ones whom the Lord has brought into our lives?
Have we treated strangers with respect and dignity, and tried to tend to
their needs as best we can? Have we
visited those in prison? How have we
related to people who have been rejected and despised by others?
The message is clear: However we have treated the least of these His
brethren, is exactly how we have treated the Most High God.
Jesus can relate to the
hungry and thirsty. He once fasted for
40 days. He often went without food,
while ministering to others. Jesus knew
what it means to be poor, for He was poor His entire life. Jesus can relate to the homeless person,
because He started out in life as One who was homeless. And even later in his adult life He admitted
that He had no place to lay His head—no place to call home.
Jesus could relate to those
who are incarcerated, for He was treated as the worst of criminals. He knew exactly how it feels to be condemned
and forsaken and forgotten.
He even knew what it feels
like to be a murderer, a rapist, a thief, a drug abuser, a tax-evader, a
prideful Pharisee, and every other class of sin that you can imagine! That’s because Jesus bore 100% of the guilt of
every single one of these sinful lifestyles and more—and He bore my shame and
your shame all the way to the cross—and He allowed Himself to bear the public
reproach and the divine condemnation that is due each of us. He did it because He loves us.
Can Jesus relate to the
neglected, forgotten ones in our world?
You bet He can! And He wants us
to remember that when we notice and love these people, we are noticing and
loving Him. Jesus associates so closely to
us that when we neglect or hurt one of His created ones, we hurt Him as well.
How
surprised and gladdened will be the lowly among the nations, and among the
heathen, to hear from the lips of the Saviour, "Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me"!
How glad will be the heart of Infinite Love as His followers look up with
surprise and joy at His words of approval!
Desire of Ages, 638
But
not to any class is Christ’s love restricted. He identifies Himself with every
child of humanity. That we might become members of the heavenly family, He
became a member of the earthly family. He is the Son of man, and thus a brother
to every son and daughter of Adam. His followers are not to feel themselves detached
from the perishing world around them. They are a part of the great web of
humanity; and Heaven looks upon them as brothers to sinners as well as to
saints. The fallen, the erring, and the sinful, Christ’s love embraces; and
every deed of kindness done to uplift a fallen soul, every act of mercy, is
accepted as done to Him.
Desire of Ages, 638
When the nations are gathered
before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will be
determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him in the person
of the poor and the suffering.
Desire of Ages, 637
That is the central issue, my
friends.
And what a blessing is ours
when we reach out to the neglected, suffering ones around us:
As you open your door to Christ’s
needy and suffering ones, you are welcoming unseen angels. You invite the
companionship of heavenly beings. They bring a sacred atmosphere of joy and
peace. They come with praises upon their lips, and an answering strain is heard
in heaven. Every deed of mercy makes music there. The Father from His throne
numbers the unselfish workers among His most precious treasures.
Desire of Ages, 639
Who We Associate With
Well, normally, we hang
around:
People who dress nice
People who have money
People who seem to be intelligent
“Normal” people
We don’t usually want to
associate with people who have the appearance of being, abnormal,
unintelligent, mentally ill, ugly, poor, smelly, uncultured, of rough
appearance, or lacking in basic hygiene.
BUT THESE ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WHOM JESUS EMBRACED EVERY DAY OF HIS
LIFE!!
Look Around You . . .
Look around you and take note
of those who are hurting, those who are alone, those who are in need. They work with us, they go to similar places
as we do. Some of them are
neighbors. It might be someone you’ve
glanced at occasionally, but often pass by on your way somewhere. It might even be an angel in disguise! Ask Jesus to fill you with His love and His
burden for the hurting, neglected ones.
As you give to these, you give to Jesus.
Heathen Who
Will Be Surprised
You know, there will be a lot
of surprises when we get to heaven! Some
folks whom we were certain would be there, won’t. And others who were really way out there and
far away from God with not a hope in the world—well, they just might be there!
Those whom Christ commends in
the judgment may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His
principles. Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a
blessing to those about them. Even among the heathen are those who have
cherished the spirit of kindness; before the words of life had fallen upon
their ears, they have befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them at
the peril of their own lives. Among the heathen are those who worship God
ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality,
yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have
heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the
law required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their
hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.
Desire of Ages, 638
In the final analysis, it
will be known just who among us has lived up to the light we have received, and
acted on it. In the final analysis, it
will be known just who in this world have loved
as God loves. Those individuals will
be welcomed into glory. Because love is
the fulfilling of the law. When it all
comes down to it, it’s all about loving God supremely, and loving our neighbor
as ourselves.
God Chose a Tiny, Insignificant Planet
God indeed chose a very
small, insignificant planet on which to display His redeeming love to the
universe. The Lord Jesus willingly came
to this dark, rebellious world. He
humbled Himself. He even started out as
a helpless babe. And He wasn’t born in a
palace, like a king should. No, no. He instead was born in a feeding trough for
animals, in a makeshift stable.
Jesus came into this world as
a homeless Transient. A pauper. And He was born with a stigma already
attached to Him. He was considered by
many to have been born illegitimately.
His parents were looked down upon for their supposed indiscretion. That’s the kind of family situation into
which Jesus was born.
Can He relate to the human
race?
[Humble Majesty]
What Hast Thou Borne for Me?
They were words penned from
the heart of a humble believer. Her name
was
" I gave My life for
thee,
My precious blood I
shed,
That thou might'st
ransomed be
And quickened from the
dead."
" I gave, I gave My life
for thee,
What hast thou given
for Me?"
As
"My Father's house of
light,
My glory-circled
throne,
I left for earthly
night,
For wanderings sad and
lone.
I left, I left it all
for thee,
Hast thou left aught
for Me?"
As
"I suffered much for
thee,
More than thy tongue
can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from
hell;
I've borne, I've borne
it all for thee,
What hast thou borne
for Me?"
This poem is number 281 in
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. It was written by Frances Ridley Havergal. And it is a fitting hymn of response for us
today.