By Tom Stolle

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[c] you were doing it to me!’
(Matthew 25:31-40) (NLT)

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about this section of scripture. I think it’s incredible that Jesus gives us a glimpse into what is going to happen at the judgment and what He is going to say.

As Christians, we understand that we must accept Jesus as Savior and as Lord to secure our eternity with Him. However, I think it’s telling that at the judgment, Jesus will address this in the context of how this was manifested in how we loved and served others. God cares about how we treat others. God cares about how we see others. God wants us to give ourselves away, to meet their needs, and to serve in the name of Jesus.

Often, in our fallen state, we may default to ways of thinking that may go something like this: “Perhaps they wouldn’t be in that situation if they worked harder. Perhaps they wouldn’t be sick if they took better care of themselves. Perhaps they wouldn’t be so alone if they were a nicer person.” However, we must remember we are all His image bearers. God wants us to see others as He sees them. Consider what has happened in your life to deepen your desire to love and serve others. What has God allowed you to endure to make you more aware of the suffering and struggle of others?

Twenty-three years ago, God gave Shelley and I our third son. Jimmy has many challenges.  Among these challenges are severe autism, the inability to speak, and other complex disabilities. While the struggle and pain is real, God uses it to make Shelley and I better servants and better people. We can all point to struggles in our lives that have changed us. God desires that through our pain and suffering, we draw closer to him, that our hearts are changed, that we become more like Jesus, and that we more clearly see the needs of others.

One of the things I love about our churches is how we respond to the needs of others. As I consider the churches that are part of the BCM/D, I see ministries to the poor. I see ministries to individuals whose lives have been ripped apart by a divorce. I see ministries to individuals with disabilities, immigrants, individuals struggling with addiction, the abused, those affected by natural disasters, and so many more. I could go on and on naming more ministries, but you get the point.

I see the people of God rallying together and seeing the needs of others; I see the people of God responding in love to meet those needs!

Can we do better? Of course! There is always room for improvement and growth. None of us has fully arrived, but what we are doing is making a difference, and through these efforts, we are evidencing the love of Jesus.

I’m honored to be a part of a convention of churches in Maryland/Delaware and beyond that live out these words of Jesus: “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Let’s continue to love and serve! In Jesus name!

I’m looking forward to seeing you at The Gathering in Ocean City!

Tom Stolle serves as the executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.