First Responders

October 12, 2015

First Responders

“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?

Matthew 25:37

The nature of a first responder is to respond! The issue isn’t whether they will respond, or when they will respond. The issue of responding has already been settled. The only remaining issue is how best to respond.

So also it is with the followers of Jesus. In Jesus’ parable of the Final Judgment, the righteous ones were unaware they were serving Jesus when they offered food, water, hospitality, clothing or a visit to those in need. They simply saw a need and met it. The others, in this story that Jesus tells, find themselves under the judgment of God because they refused to help the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Apparently, they calculated if and when to respond to a need, and determined not to help.

In this parable, Jesus commends the simple, the naïve way of living that does not calculate cost and benefits, but sees a need and responds. I know in this world where we live, we are besieged with requests each and every day. What are we to do? Does God expect we will be the first responders to each and every need we encounter? Yes.

I believe God wants our human nature to be transformed into first responders. Remember, for the first responder the issue isn’t if, or when; rather the only issue is how best to respond. Our first response will be prayer. After that, as God leads us, we can respond with our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.

Making up my mind to be a first responder is giving God permission to do a work in my heart. Given the choice of becoming as cynical as are so many in our world today, I would rather have God transform my heart to be like His very own. Come on, let’s be counted among the sheep on Jesus’ right hand.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.