Matt.25

There are two stories that are meant to teach about preparation. The story of the virgins and the bridegroom and then a retelling of the master who gives the servants money and some double their money and one buries it.

In the first virgins are sent waiting for the bridegroom to arrive at the wedding banquet. Some of the gals brought extra oil for their lamps and some didn't. When he arrives the girls are sent out to meet them. The girls who had enough oil, they had lamps that burned bright.....the bridegroom met them and escorted them into the banquet. The girls who did not bring enough oil.....their lights had burned out, and he didn't see or recognize them.

Always keep your light burning bright.

I shan't rehash the second. I shall only say.....Don't bury your goodness, don't hide yourself. That is to say "if your light's under a bushel...its lost something sorta crucial"

And thennnnn the separation of the sheep and the goats. I really love this one.

He address the "sheep" at his right hand first....

When I was hungry, you gave me food, when thirsty I received water, clothes, shelter.......therefore you shall inherit the kingdom
They say to him "we never saw you need for any of these things?!"
AH! says He, When you do it for the least of these, you do it for me.

Next: the goats which are sitting at his left hand.......

Never once gave Me food when I was hungry, water for my thirst, clothes, shelter....... therefore you shall not get into the heavenly party.
"we never saw you needing food, water, clothes, or shelter....... we would have surely given you whatever you needed"
AH! say He.... for as you failed to do it for the least of these, so you failed to do it for me.

This is a very timely reading as far as Haiti is concerned. I read a post on my facebook wall that some looney wrote (my uncle) that said basically that we have all the problems of poverty and homelessness in America, yet when this happened in Haiti we reached into our pockets and gave and gave and gave.

I'm not going to go into what I deal with everyday as far as poverty goes, because Jamie knows. But the poverty here that I see (and I see it, everyday) is not because these people CAN'T, it's because these people WON'T.

The people in Haiti right now simply CAN'T.

We can't give ENOUGH to get some of these people in America out of poverty. I better stop before this turns into a rant.