Feeding the Hungry
Scripture Reading — Matthew 25:31-40
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40
Currently, one out of every seven Americans receives governmental food assistance, or food stamps. The Wall Street Journal reports that in some poorer communities lines form in grocery stores at midnight on the first day of the month. That’s when the next monthly batch of food stamps becomes valid.
I personally know a hard-working family in Chicago who struggled with occasional hunger after their main breadwinner lost his job as a truck driver. It wasn’t easy for them to ask for help, but eventually they did so. The wife was moved to tears when a deacon from their church stopped by for a visit with bags full of groceries.
Most of us are fortunate enough not to know much about real hunger and thirst. From time to time we might complain that we are famished as we wait for our next meal. But our health is hardly threatened when dinner is delayed for an hour!
For Jesus it was very different. As a person who lived in poverty, he knew the weakening effects of hunger and thirst. He understood the plight of the needy. (See Luke 9:58.) And the amazing part is that when we help people who are less fortunate, we are lending a helping hand to the Lord himself.
Let’s look around. It’s likely that there are hungry people nearby who need our help.
Lord, help us to see you in the destitute people in our community, in our country, and beyond. May we find concrete ways to help them in your name. Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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