The Least Of These

"For I was hungry and you gave me food; I  was thirsty and you gav me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;  I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me."  "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe You?  'Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'  "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.'
Matthew 25: 35-40 NKJV

Charity is a huge deal these days.  Everywhere I look I see a non profit charity group of one kind or another.  From helping the homeless to assisting inner city youth, there's no shortage of organizations out there to assist people.  Of course, in my opinion, the United States Government is the largest charity of all, but that's another story.  The point I'm making is this, if for some reason the fortunes of any of us were to take a turn for the worse, there would at least be a chance of assistance from somewhere.  Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing.  As scripture tells us we're supposed to look after those among us who are less fortunate.   It saddens me when I hear that there are not enough charitable donations out coming in to cover those in need.  As Americans, we have the luxury of living in one of the most abundant, economicaly successful nations in the history of mankind.  Whenever a natural disaster strikes somewhere in this world of ours, the United States is usualy the first nation to offer assistance and material support to the survivors.  I know that this image of America does not fit in with the opinion of America of our current sitting president, but it's the truth.  Americans have traditionaly been giving people.
What is our motivation for giving?  In this nation of abundance and economic success, why are there still those in need?  Why do we rush to fill the storehouses of a country hit by disaster, yet allow people to go hungry in our own nation?  It always boggles my mind how a nation as successful as ours could have such a influx of needy people.  I won't get into the definition of "Poverty" because I think it changes with each persons situation.  However, I see plenty of people with I Phones, satalite TV's, nice clothes and not having to worry about where their next meal will come from.  Yet, these very same people will complain they don't have enough to get by.  I think to myself, 'God has blessed you and yet you strive for more?'  Most of us, myself included, have not seen the poverty of many of the nations in the world around us.  I wonder how much we would complain if we had what a family in one of these countries had to live on?  Are we spoiled by our success?  I'm thinking so.
Just this morning I was sitting having my morning coffee in the local coffee super corporation when I noticed a man walk in.  He wasn't anything special, but it was obvious that he was living on the street.  So obvious, that he made a good number of people uncomfortable.  Now, my job entails that I work among Portlands homeless population, and I've witnessed the trash and mess that many of them produce.  So, I guess my heart has become hardened to anyone that I see in that condition.  I think my first thought was "Just another homeless guy."  Well, this man walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee, then searched his pockets for the money to pay for his drink.  This wasn't  a large foo foo drink that I was enjoying, just a normal sized coffee.  Not finding the money to pay for his drink, he walked out to sit outside.  Now, I'm sure it wouldn't break Howard Shultz to have given this man a free coffee, but that's not company "policy."  I couldn't blame him, even I had more than a few prejudices against this man and those like him.  All of this was happening in front of me as I was reading my bible, just another pious, greedy christian right?  As I got ready to leave, I purchased a gift card and walked out.  I didn't know this man, his name or his situation, that wasn't important at the time.  What was important was if I would follow where God was leading me.  
This wasn't a "ministry" opportunity, this was a giving opportunity.  I half expected him to give me his life story, but he simply thanked me and tried not to be emotional...as we give to the least of these.

~Scott~