The scripture below has impacted my life more than any other I can think of. Keith Green, a christian singer/songwriter who died in an airplane crash in 1982, quoted this verse on one of his albums. I remember sitting in the back of my parents car when I was maybe 13 years old driving back from our annual summer camping trip to Yosemite listening to a Keith Green CD. He told a story about judgement day from Matthew 25. At the end of the story, he said in a convicted voice "what is the difference between the sheep and the goats? It's what they did and didn't DO!" It hit me like a ton of bricks and has never left me. It's not enough to be a church-going, happy-smiley, "amen brother" shouting, tithing, baptised, nice guy with a fish sticker on my car.
Lord, give me a heart for the sick, poor, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, naked, and lonely. Please forgive me for my selfishness. Soften my heart and give me conviction so I can make a difference.
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 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:
35 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;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 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.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Lord, give me a heart for the sick, poor, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, naked, and lonely. Please forgive me for my selfishness. Soften my heart and give me conviction so I can make a difference.
Matthew 25:31-4631 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 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:
35 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;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 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.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
posted by Mike Colón at 8:33 PM
16 Comments:
At the risk of sounding like the guy you spoke of... amen brother.
::Nods::
Keith Green really brought that passage to life, didn't he!
Reading that scripture really grabs my heart and reminds me of how important it is to be unselfish and caring of everyone. It is so easy to get trapped in your original description "church-going, happy-smiley, "amen brother" shouting, tithing, baptised, nice guy with a fish sticker on my car" and think it is enough. When I read that I thought, hmmm sounds like me!
Amen.
Hurt me good, man. Thank you for the kick in the pants. God is beginning to move my heart into that direction as well.
God bless you, friend.
/danny
Thank you. Thank you for posting this scripture because it reminds me that I should be reading my bible daily and not just Mike's blog ;-) and it's totally awesome that with as busy as you are you are able to do reach people with God's work and reach them through something as high tech and crazy as a blog! Awesome!
As Rick Warren says "If you are a part of God's family, your mission is mandatory. To ignore it would be disobedience." "Your mission involves two great privileges: working with God and representing him." Thank you Mike for being a shining light in a dim/dark world. May God continue to bless you.
Jonalee
Ps. Keith Green Rocked!! Gotta love the fro too on the cover of that "album".
Amen!
I love another one of Keith Green's quotes also - "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger."
I thought this blog was a resource for pro photographers - or is it now a bible class?
Interesting choice of posting - GREAT portrait of that boy! You should have a book made with those images from your trip.
Keith Green has made a huge imapact on my life. I remember seeing him in concert the year he died.
One of the most powerfull concerts I have ever been too. No fancy lights or show, just a Godly man and his piano.
And if you havent read "No Compromise" a biography about Keith, you really need too.
Thanks Mike for bringing up a very important message that we Christians always need to remember. And ACT On!
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phil 3:12-14
Mike,
I am so glad to see your boldness as a beliver bearing Christ's name. I am again inspired and challenged by God's words and by you as his servant.
Mike, simply knowing that you exist is a wonderful blessing to me. I've only been shooting for three years and I have a LOT to learn. Your talent and words are a great inspiration to me and I thank God for the day that I learned about you. I'm glad that you started this blog. I check it daily for something new.
Congratulations on the new addition!
I'm still awaiting that reality show that I asked you about last year. :)
God Bless you and your family!
Thank you for being real, Mike.
Mike, thanks for sharing. I love your heart for God and the way you live it out in every aspect of life whether it's thirst, business or church.
Quick thought regarding the comment made about a bible study.
Life (ie. business, church, relationships etc.) is like a good strawberry pie. Even if you try to cut or divide it with exact precision, if it's any good at all it's still gonna ooze all over the pan, the plate and everything that touches it.
I really like seeing all the pieces of your pie (life) and appreciate knowing you for far more than just someone that does good marketing and takes good pix.
Isn't it strange, That's one passge I also recall from church when I was about 13 (45 years ago). Thanks for reminding me!
Keith Green made such an impact on my life as a teen (had the privilege of seeing him in concert several times - what a passionate man!), and now I see the impact he has made in the lives of my own teenage daughters. Still love his music...still am convicted by his message.
Thanks for posting this, Mike.
Blessings,
Lorraine Varela
Post a Comment
<< Home