Our Living God!

Read Matthew 25:31-40

The Lord lives!
-2 Samuel 22:47 (NRSV)

MY former boss was hospitalized. I thought I should go and visit him because he had loved me as his own son. However, before learning of his illness, I had made plans for how I wanted to spend my long-awaited day off. Even though I knew that keeping to my plans would be selfish of me, I was torn about what to do.

On the day I was considering whether or not to go, we had a Bible study at church. While reading the Bible, my eyes were drawn to this passage: "The king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food ... I was sick and you took care of me'" (Matt. 25:34-36). After this, I knew that it was God's will for me to visit my former boss.

He was delighted to see me. I sensed that he truly needed a visit from me and that God was pleased that I was by his side. At that moment, God seemed more alive to me than ever before. I saw that God appeals to us through the words of the Bible and that God works through us in the circumstances of our lives.

(by Yasuo Ogawa (Kagawa Prefecture, Japan))