Daily Devotional

"³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
- Matthew 25:35-36

Caring for the needy is a direct expression of love for the Lord. This biblical passage helps us to understand that when we help people who are excluded and in need, we are doing it for God himself. Like any human being, the needy have a dignity that comes from the heavenly Father.

Christ identifies with the most vulnerable. And we can all serve Christ better when we do this for our brothers and sisters. Practical beneficence, sincere charity and noble love for the most needy are clear evidence of devotion, love and service to the Lord. Therefore, we need to love them and help them, as if we were taking care of the Lord himself.

Help those in need!

• Pray and ask God for a kind and willing heart.
• Help according to your means, with liberality and wisdom. With God, little becomes much. Read on: Matthew 25:31-42
• Take every opportunity life gives you to reach out to others, knowing that God sees and will reward you.
• But don't focus only on the reward. Let your good deeds not be selfish, nor as a form of investment before God. Help out of love and empathy, for the glory of God and the blessing of others.
• To be a servant of humanity is to be a servant of Christ. Be aware of the needs around you.

Pray:

"I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you."

Psalm 119:11

We are prone to error from birth. Nobody teaches a child to blackmail, tantrum, disobey, or be selfish with their toys, for example. Yet they act this way from the first years of their life. Sin is this invisible evil, glued to our genes, which leads us to sin even when we don't want to.

When Jesus entered the story of our lives, he saved us from the terrible curse of sin. We were slaves to a merciless master, who conditioned us to think, feel, and act according to the greed and wickedness of our hearts. However, through Jesus Christ, the Word that became flesh (John 1:14), we can keep the Truth that sets us free in our hearts, so that we don't sin against God.

Keep the Word and Practice it!

• Keeping the Word in your heart means being in constant contact with it. Read, study, seek to know and truly love the Holy Bible.
• To keep the teachings of Scripture you can memorize, record, or study Bible verses and stories.
• Memorize at least one verse a week. At the end of a year, you will see how much of the Word you have internalized.
• Sing the Word. Try to listen to and learn songs that speak of the biblical message.
• Try to listen to the Word preached, re-read it, meditate on it, and live out what you have learned.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for Your Word which teaches me, purifies me, and frees me from all sin. Help me to keep all that I have learned so as not to grieve You by doing what displeases You. Teach me to be more like your Son Jesus Christ in love and attitude. May I always be willing to love, read, study, and practice Your Word, every day of my life. In Jesus' name! Amen.