Beyond Words
Jesus and the Hungry
Two thousands years ago, Jesus fed the hungry, healed the
sick and befriended the lonely.
Jesus has not changed.
He still meets the physical and spiritual needs of poor and
suffering people. He hears their despairing voices rising from dilapidated
neighborhoods and impoverished nations. He sees the malnourished children,
grief-stricken mothers and unemployed fathers.
Jesus’ heart breaks.
Fortunately Jesus has not relegated himself to being merely
a concerned spectator. Today He actively works through His followers to feed
the hungry and give them hope.
Jesus longs to wipe away their tears.
As believers, we must not turn a deaf ear to the cries of the
poor and suffering. We must not isolate ourselves from the destitute and dying
or throw up our hands and say, “What will be will be.” Instead, in the name of
Jesus, we must respond with concerted prayer and acts of compassion.
Jesus asks us to resist the temptation to do nothing.
Most believers want to “rescue the perishing” and “care for
the dying.” But often, because the needs are so great, we don’t know what to do
or where to start. Jesus simply asks us to invite Him to fill our hearts with
greater compassion and to open our eyes to ministry opportunities.
Jesus wants to do a work in our hearts.
In addition to prayer and acts of compassion, every believer
has a biblical responsibility to give to the poor as unto the Lord. (See
Deuteronomy 15, Luke 14, Proverbs 22.) In turn, God promises His blessing and
favor in our lives.
Jesus asks us to give generously.
One effective way to help the poor and suffering is to
designate one day’s wage each year to feeding the hungry.
Jesus commands us to feed the hungry.
Participating in One Day To Feed The World is something we
can all do to partner with Jesus to make a lasting difference in the lives of
men, women and children who are hungry and alone.
HAL DONALDSON is president and co-founder of Convoy of Hope.
E-mail your comments to pe@ag.org.
