I Fed Jesus Today
There is a television show that my wife and I thoroughly enjoy on CBS called Undercover Boss. The show’s premise is where a high level executive assumes a hidden identity, undergoes a drastic wardrobe change, sometimes they take on wigs or whatever is needed to keep their real selves hidden. Then, with an alias, they enter into the business they run at entry level and go with the workers out in the field or in the office. For one week they spend time with the ordinary people that make them money, and for one week they have their eyes opened either to how wonderful the company is or how much it needs to be improved. Some employees have been caught saying negative things about the boss, some reveal sad stories, some reveal the struggles they go through. Then after the week of spending time with a select few individuals, the undercover boss cleans up and reveals himself or herself to their employees. Each person is told how much they were appreciated, each person is given either financial gifts, some are trained to make them better, some are given raises and/or better positions, vacations, a new car, etc, etc. Usually at by then end of each episode my wife and I have tears in our eyes at the love that is shown.
Much like Undercover Boss we are in a world that someone else owns. God created the world for us to take care of, and much like the show some sing the Boss's praises, some speak negatively of Him. The scriptures clearly tell us in Hebrews: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. You never know when an Angel will appear to either help us or test our love.
Jesus also told us in the book of Matthew: 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: 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. 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.
Jesus clearly points out that we are to help those in need, those that hunger and are downcast. We are to see each person as we are seeing Jesus Himself. When we help others we could be entertain either angels or Jesus Himself. We never know who we are talking to or ministering to. So much happiness is shown when we spend just a moment of our lives to buy a stranger who is hungry a small bag of jerky or given a dollar or two to the woman standing at the street corner holding a sign saying: out of work…have children…homeless.
It is true, they may be lying, they may be scheming to get a free handout…but, maybe, just maybe that person is Jesus Himself. It does not matter what they do with the money, it matters what we do with our money. It does not matter if they use us, it matters how we use our time. We are called to be as Jesus was and is—like Jesus!
Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount about who will be blessed. Eleven times in a row He uses the words blessed are. Eleven times in a row He instructs us that it is the poor, the meek, the sick, the hungry that will be blessed; not the rich, not those who live comfortably, not those who are liars, revilers and murderers, but even the evil people of the world God can and is willing to bless if they change their hearts.
Jesus compares us to being the lights of the world, and our lights should not be hidden. As Christians we are called to let out love shine through. We should not boast about ourselves, we are to let others sing praises of our good works. We should never say: I did this or I did that, we should say it is God’s great mercy that gave me the ability to do this or that! Jesus tells us: Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. Everything we do, we should do for only the glory of God, not for others to give us praises. So many times we get trapped by our own pride, especially when we are the 'boss'.
Jesus also compares us to salt. If the salt is good, it gives the food an enhancement of flavor, if the salt has lost its flavor then it useless, but unlike salt we are kept for a span of time called our lives to allow us to change. We are given the opportunity to give our hearts to others, to share our love with others and to let out little lights shine out into the world.
We need to representatives of the Boss who is in heaven, for we never know when the Boss is going to come for a visit in the form of someone who is homeless, downcast or poor. We need to treat every living being with love and respect. We need to love everyone with the kind of love that Jesus shows us. When we show our love for others, we show the love we have for Jesus. When we bless others, God will bless us. When we forgive others, God will forgive us.
Do not forget the commandments of love that God shared with us, to love the Lord our God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we love ourselves, we love the One who created us, and when we love the One who created us, we love the ones that He created, in turn love Jesus. The whole cycle comes back to reflecting the love of God to all.
