Least part 3
Writing a Rant about the least is really writing a Rant about abundance. But, as always, it's all about your perception. It's all about how you see things. And how you see things is directly effected by how you look at things. The Bible tells us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Which to me means that He was looking God straight in the face. He was looking at Jesus. He had his affections on things above, and not on things of the earth. He was walking by faith, and not by sight. He didn't see lack. Even when a rain (which was something of the imagination, because at that point it had never rained on the earth... there was no such thing as rain) was coming to flood the earth, because of where Noah was looking he didn't see destruction. He saw salvation. He saw the Ark. Because he found grace in God's eyes, he was able to see things as they really were. That's what I was trying--in my own "wandering around and hoping I make a point," way--to say yesterday. When we see people as they really are, we won't consider anybody to be "less than." Because we'll see Jesus in everybody. We'll see that we are all parts of the same body and we are all connected. What we do to each other we really do to ourselves. What we do to "the least of them" we do unto the Lord. We always seem to see this separation: God is over HERE, and man is over HERE. Especially when it comes to unbelievers. Because--we think--while a believer might be close to God, and unbeliever is far far away. But when Paul was talking to a group of unbelievers at Athens he said, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring" (Acts 17:28). Believers AND unbelievers. In Him WE live, and move, and have our being. WE are His offspring. The only difference between a believer and an unbeliever is that a believer has heard the good news and mixed it with faith. I'm trying to say we're all the same. We're all in this together. And when we stop thinking about things in terms of "good and evil," in terms of "least and greatest," in terms of "us and them," and we start to see that, "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision, uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11). That's when the idea of "least" goes out the window. That's when the truth of abundance springs forth. Listen: There are some things that I'm good at and something I'm not. And the same of true of you. But Jesus told Paul that His strength is made perfect in weakness. And here's how: If I can help you do something that you couldn't do on your own... strength just got perfected. When we help each other--when we LOVE each other--no matter what and no matter how and no matter who, that's what it's all about. That's even what Jesus' parable was about: Feeding someone who is hungry. Giving water to someone who is thirsty. Meeting people where they are (in their lack, or their need) and showing them a more excellent way. Sometimes the smallest (LEAST significant seeming) thing can make ALL the difference!