Of all the passages we looked at, this one was probably the most convicting. Even apart from the passage, my phone and wallet were still MIA at this point so I also got to see myself get a bit impatient and frustrated with God about that which was not the prettiest sight. I can say that I trust in God's timing and I believe that is better than mine, but actually living that out doesn't always happen.
Anyways, about Bible Study! Several things really touched me:
1) What matters is doing something for people. This passage says "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat...". It doesn't say a well-balanced meal from a five star restaurant to eat so even if you aren't able to give someone the "perfect" thing, Jesus is okay with that. He just wants you to give something! And that's comforting. We also discussed that plenty of times WE are the people in need so we can often switch roles in this story.
2) It's all about your heart. The giving people (the sheep in this story) were so confused when Jesus was telling them what they did. And as we are discussing that, it seems like those generous actions just kind of flowed right out of them and they weren't super aware of it. They just loved people and did nice things for them. And they didn't feel coerced into doing kind acts and they weren't thinking "Wow, I'm such a great person" while doing these things.
And I wouldn't say that is super characteristic of me. Case in point: during this study I found myself actually vocalizing: "how is this plausible? Do you feed everyone hungry person you come across?" and I would say that reveals the condition of my heart a lot of the time: How much do I have to do to be a "good" Jesus follower? And that's totally the wrong question. I should want to be like Jesus, that shouldn't be something I have to do. It's not an easy task for sure, but it's one that's ultimately worthwhile. And secondly, I know Jesus wants my everything. And I knew that when I asked this question, but it is so hard to completely submit ourselves to His Lordship sometimes. Especially as someone who likes to have control.
So this bible study kind of hit me like a ton of bricks, but at the end of it I got the news that my phone and wallet had been found (so I was extra ready to praise Jesus!) and I got the opportunity to participate in the Urbana offering (each year the conference takes up an offering for various Christian nonprofits working all over the world) and that was such a tangible way to act on my convictions!
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