THE LEAST OF THESE

I Was Just Thinking About – THE LEAST OF THESE.

There are many, many people who go through life being unnoticed and with little or no recognition. They can be people who are the poor among us or they can be people who have sought to serve others in various professions. For some of them, exclusion and loneliness has been a lifetime experience.

A couple of years ago, I authored a book titled Realizing Significance that chronicled just a small sampling of people who have faced handicaps and existed within the category seen as little people. The theme text of that book was a phrase taken from Mark 4:36, “there were also other little” boats with them.” A point made was that when a raging storm became a reality, the disciples in a larger boat were concerned for their lives and safety but no mention was made of a concern for “the other little boats that were also in that storm. It was significant that Francis Schaeffer made the purposeful statement in his writing titled True Spirituality that: There are No Little People and No Little Places. When referencing those deemed “little people” he added, “there are only consecrated or non-consecrated people.” A hymn that is sometimes sung at Missionary Consecration Services is: So Send I You. The first stanza contains these words - -

So send I you to labor unrewarded,
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown.
To bear rebuke, or suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone.

In Matthew 23:11-12, Jesus reminded the crowds and His disciples: “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” A short time after, Jesus states this criterion for entering His Kingdom, Matthew 25:31-46 – The Separation Of The Sheep and Goats. Jesus mentioned how the sheep and goats differed in their approach to “the least of these, My brethren.” He measured the sheep and goats – their observations, actions or inactions - based upon verses 35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” When they inquired about “when” this had been done, Jesus replied with His “least of these” statement. If one ministered to the “least of these, one ministered to Jesus Himself. If one ignored the least of these, Jesus declared one had ignored Him.

A person should never feel or believe he is unneeded or unnecessary. No one is on this planet for personal recognition even though there are those who strive for it and receive it. We are here to serve Jesus Christ so that whether by life or by death, He alone is magnified and glorified (Philippians 1:20-21). 

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.