WWJD SeriesTHE

According to Jesus,

how should I treat the hungry?

A B O U T T H I S S E R I E S

In the WWJD series, I explain how we can copy Jesus in his beautiful and kind work to this world, while he walked the earth. In Matthew 25:35- 40, Jesus talks about how helping and being there for the sick, poor, and imprisoned not only benefits them, it also benefits Jesus. Jesus goes as far as to say that when we help those people, we are directly helping him to the same degree. 

“ F O R I W A S A N H U N G R E D , A N D Y E G A V E M E M E A T : I W A S T H I R S T Y , A N D Y E G A V E M E D R I N K : I W A S A S T R A N G E R , A N D Y E T O O K M E I N : N A K E D , A N D Y E C L O T H E D M E : I W A S S I C K , A N D Y E

V I S I T E D M E : I W A S I N P R I S O N , A N D Y E C A M E U N T O M E . T H E N S H A L L T H E R I G H T E O U S A N S W E R H I M , S A Y I N G , L O R D , W H E N

S A W W E T H E E A N H U N G R E D , A N D F E D T H E E ? O R T H I R S T Y , A N D G A V E T H E E D R I N K ? W H E N S A W W E T H E E A S T R A N G E R , A N D

T O O K T H E E I N ? O R N A K E D , A N D C L O T H E D T H E E ? O R W H E N S A W W E T H E E S I C K , O R I N P R I S O N , A N D C A M E U N T O T H E E ? A N D T H E K I N G S H A L L A N S W E R A N D S A Y U N T O T H E M , V E R I L Y I S A Y U N T O

Y O U ,

" I N A S M U C H A S Y E H A V E D O N E I T U N T O O N E O F T H E L E A S T O F T H E S E M Y B R E T H R E N , Y E H A V E D O N E I T U N T O M E . ”

(Mat thew 25 :35-40 KJV , Emphas is mine)

Here i s the excerpt f rom scr ipture :

T HE PR OB LEM

Approximately 42 million Americans,

according to Feeding America, have a difficult

time getting enough food to feed themselves

and their families.

42 million.

T HE PR OB LEMThat statistic burns a fire deep in my

stomach. The poverty that has hit America, let alone the rest of the world, is unbearable. Jesus knew this issue all too well, as he himself was just a carpenter, living off of low wages. He saw broken,

despairing, and needy people every single day of his life. When Jesus walked the

earth, he did not make it his job to meet, talk to, and impact every single person in

the entire world. He rather made it his sole purpose to save, heal, and comfort

whoever was in front of him. He set a beautiful example for how we are to face this world’s overwhelming issues; the way to do this is not to bear the entire world’s burden of hunger, but rather, to do solely what you can do to help the one person in front of you and nothing more. This makes

fighting world hunger actually possible and seemingly feasible. It is my charge to

make this purpose my own, and I encourage you to do the same.

On e S o l u t i o n : Support Food Banks

There is an elaborate tapestry of services offered to the poor and homeless in today’s age. From resume writing to house-hunting services and showering trucks to hair cuts, they really are endless. There is none such like food banks, however. These organizations go above and beyond the call of duty to feed those in need. They do whatever they can to assure that each piece of food donated goes directly into the hands of those who are lacking food or drink. They also do this with great consistency, which is what truly makes a lasting impact in the short-term and long- term.

A n o t h e r S o l u t i o n : Donat ing T ime, Money , and/or FoodA great way to begin your service to those who are too poor is to help them acquire a basic human need: Food and drink. If you are reading this, then you have probably seen a “Canned Food Drive” in your time or people who do one- off volunteer days at places such as soup kitchens. These are both beautiful efforts to help the poor.

If you are looking to take your service to the next level, there are plenty of ways you can get involved.

You can join a committee or take a board member position at a local non-profit. You could donate your extra time to do the overhead work that is necessary to keep places, such as food banks, up and running. You can offer your professional skills pro bono.

C O M E B A C K S O O N !

To find out how else Jesus served this world and why we should follow in his footsteps, come back soon for my next part in the “WWJD Series!”

T H A N K SB Y : L E O K A N E L L