How easily we, as saints, are inclined to miss some of our choicest privileges! And this is the result of our overlooking the simple statements of the Word.
The clean animal in the Old Testament Scripture was one which, besides being cloven-footed, chewed the cud. It not only gathered its food, it chewed it over again afterward. Do we have our quiet times over portions we have gathered? If not, we never get the full benefit of them. And this is a great loss, for we forget much we have gathered, and consequently miss many a choice privilege.
Take for instance the words of our Lord in Matthew 25:4040And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:40): “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Have you ever quietly meditated upon this, letting it have its full weight upon your heart and mind? Think of it; the Lord here definitely states that whatever good thing is done to one of His brethren, He reckons it as done to Himself; and it is so put down to the account of the one who does the good deed.
Now let us challenge our hearts. Do we in all our dealings with our fellow-Christians remember this? I do not ask if we understand it, for the words are too simple to admit of mistake or question; but, beloved friends, Do we remember that He is counting our actions towards His own, as done to Himself?
Perhaps a further test will help us. Suppose Jesus were visibly upon earth today, as He was nineteen centuries back, walking up and down among us and visiting His people as then, what would our attitude be towards Him? Should we not count it the greatest honor that could be bestowed upon us to have Him as a guest beneath our roof? Would anything be too good for Him? Should we not gladly give Him of our very best? Well, beloved, He Himself tells us we have the privilege at our very doors; for, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”
Can we take it in, beloved? May we have grace so to do? By-and-by when we see what now we know by faith, how welcome will it be to those who have acted according to the simple Word, to have it acknowledged openly, that, during their sojourn upon earth, they were ministering to Him?
And if we need this as an incentive, the converse is equally true as a corrective. “I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not... Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it not unto Me.”