“‘…Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.… I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:40, 43-45, NASB)
Dick Halverson and Bob Pierce bonded through a love for God they longed to share in every nation. But words were not enough. They believed God’s love must be demonstrated. “Let my heart be broken,” Bob told Dick, “with the things that break the heart of God.”
It’s never too late to demonstrate care for that one who is in need.Bob formed a non-profit organization in 1950 to care for poverty-stricken children and families everywhere. Dick became the team spiritual guide. From that passion emerged World Vision, which today reaches the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick in 90 nations.
Dick was also my spiritual guide and with Bob’s successor Ted Engstrom, we played Augusta National. Dick and Ted both loved golf, but couldn’t play a lick. Sorry. But they were great models of compassion for the poor and needy to our three foursomes.
Dick, Bob, and Ted played a major role in kindling my compassion for the poor and needy, which we always wanted to be a part of the DNA of the Links Players. LINKS is an acrostic beginning with Loving God and others and ending with a big “S” to represent Sharing Jesus through golf.
“K” represents a prayer, Kindle a fire within us—a fire of compassion for some of the most needy nearby. Or faraway. Like Dick and Bob had.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to help the neediest, those who can’t help themselves, the hungry, thirsty, foreigners and unclothed. We are following Jesus when we visit the sick or those in prison.
Does the fruit of my life bear witness that I am caring for “one of the least of these”?
Really, I must ask myself this: If I believe Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead and I count on Jesus’ finished work at Calvary for eternal life, can I take these words Jesus expressed in Matthew 25:40-45 with any less seriousness?
God forbid. God forbid that neither I, nor you my brother or sister, would either.
It’s never too late to demonstrate care for that one who is hungry, thirsty, a stranger to our land, someone not clothed adequately, a sick person or someone in prison or anyone in need.
As Links Players, we are not Spectators. We are Christ’s representatives, ambassadors to carry his love to both the least and the lost. You can begin this transformation today.
—
Jim Hiskey
October 18, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.