May 23

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ — Matt 25:37-39 BSB

True goodness is never self-conscious. Moses didn’t know that his face shone with glory. The noblest Christians put the least value on their own good works. Many of the commendations and rewards the righteous will receive at the judgment will likely come as a surprise. They don’t keep a record of their good deeds, and their deep sense of unworthiness blinds them to the worth of their humble acts of service.

Moreover, we often don’t recognize Christ in the lowly and suffering people around us. We see only the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate, with no visible glory or beauty. There’s a picture that, in ordinary light, shows only a poor man dying in a miserable attic, surrounded by abject poverty. But when seen in another light, it reveals a host of angels waiting to carry a child of God up to glory.

In the same way, we often fail to see things as they truly are! Jesus Himself is before us, hidden in the humble and needy. Every act of kindness done in His name is done for Him. One day, we’ll be surprised by the glory and rewards we receive for these humble, unnoticed acts of love.

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 foundation of the world!” (Matthew 25:34)