Pay It Upward

These righteous ones will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Matthew 25:37-40

You’ve heard the term “pay it forward.” But today’s verses make me want to “pay it upward”!

When we feed hungry people, give thirsty people something to drink, show hospitality to a stranger, provide clothing, or visit sick people or prisoners, we’re ministering to Jesus as well as to those in need.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells us how to live. Gospel means “good news,” and Jesus Himself is Good News! In some Bibles, the words of Jesus are printed in red ink (it always looks pink to me). Every word in Matthew 25 is red! When we read this chapter, it’s like we are sitting with the followers who were hearing Jesus in person.

These verses are truly an invitation to love. Those who know Jesus understand that His love for the downtrodden is so great that He identifies Himself with them in order to impress on His listeners the value of serving them.

Jesus’ way of service is not burdensome to us. It truly is a joy to reach out to others with the love of Christ, particularly those who suffer in this life. We can imagine His smile of compassion and hope each time we share His mercy and thoughtfulness, each time we purposefully open our eyes to look for those who need His love.

When we live to give, we not only pay it forward on a horizontal, earthly level, but we also pay it upward to Jesus. Do for Him by doing for others because He has done so much for us.

Choose one simple way to share God’s blessing with someone today. Don’t tell anyone—just do it and pay it upward.