Day 044: Outreach

"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 25:40

This parable reminds me of one of my favorite church songs, "Pequeñas Aclaraciones," which has the refrain, "Va Dios mismo en nuestro mismo caminar." (God himself walks alongside us)

I feel that Lent is a season where we can really explore this idea of God, because God is always around us, whether we're aware of it or not.  Lent is a time for us to reach out our hands to the many different outstretched hands that God shows us along our way.

Jesus teaches us, in this parable, that we cannot just believe with our lips.  We can't just call ourselves Christians without living a life in Christ.  In the same way, we can't say we're students if we're not studying in school.  If we don't do the assignments and tests and requirements for school, we won't get the degree.  If we don't work diligently in our jobs, we won't get our paycheck, let alone keep the job.  So why does being a Christian have to be any different?

All throughout the Bible, we can see examples of people who didn't seem like they were right for the job, but who worked very hard to accomplish what God needed to have happen.  Moses had trouble speaking in public, but strove to make it work and sought the right kind of help.  Jeremiah was afraid to prophesy because he was young, but he continued to work.  Paul persecuted the early Christians, but he had a change of heart and continued to work out a new theology out of his own understanding.

To follow Christ means to work for him.  We can't just sit around, posting about how holy our lives are on Facebook or proclaiming to all our friends that we are righteous beings.  We need to be out there, helping out the less fortunate, loving those who are outcast, spreading the Gospel to all those who may never have heard it before.  We need to go around the mansion that was built for us by the long line of saints before us and make sure that everything is tidy.