The Least of These . . .

I am feeling bothered tonight ... there is a burning deep inside my heart.  These scriptures, and what they say ... what about the orphans?  Why are there so many ... still?  Why does there seem to be so few who are "called" to adopt.  Isn't it a calling for all of us to care for the least of these?  And if not to adopt them ... to do SOMETHING?  Check this out from God's Word ....

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

What part of this scripture don't we Christians understand?  It says if we call ourselves Christians we should be taking care of orphans and widows ...  it's right out there, in black and white, no hidden meanings.  But how many of us do?

How about this one ....

Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This is scarey stuff.  But I didn't say it ... God did. Why then, does there seem to be only a few families scattered here and there who have a heart for the orphan?  And when we talk to other Christians, most folks, their eyes just glaze over .... like we are speaking a different language .... they don't get it ...  They are thinking about where to go out to lunch after church. 

My heart is heavy ....