By Danny Minton

It’s the first of the year, so I’m rehashing a topic I have discussed several times: being Jesus to those around us. By the time you read this post, you will be well into the year 2025. Chances are many of you made a New Year’s resolution or two, finding the first of the year a good place to start. Most of our goals usually center around something personal. I’m going on a diet and lose a few pounds by cutting out sweets, sodas, and fattening foods. I’m going to read the Bible from beginning to end, or I’m going to read the Bible every day. I will take care of all the little things that need fixing around the house. I’ll pay more attention to my family and help around the house. The list could go on, and you could add whatever you promised yourself to the list. Some have already had soda or a dessert and couldn’t pass the extra helping of fried chicken. Those reading the Bible will start strongly, then somewhere around the Book of Leviticus, they’ll get bogged down and start missing and possibly quit altogether when they turn the page and face the Book of Numbers. Door hinges will still need to be replaced, and work will consume more time to pay the bills piled up in December. 

Self-help resolutions are good, even if we don’t keep them completely. Making them helps us focus on things we need or want to change to improve our lives. However, besides making self-help goals, we need to take time to create and accomplish goals that reach out to others. What do we plan to do this year that makes a difference in the lives of those in need, hurting, or struggling in their daily lives?

Many of us already do things for those who attend worship with us or for family, but what about the world outside our church and home doors? Our congregation has committed to be involved in the lives of those who live within a one-mile radius of our building. A “fist bump” group greets students at one of the schools each morning to encourage them to have a good day. Others are involved in the two to three weeks in the summer when the school doesn’t provide meals. Each day, a group prepares and stands in the hot sun, handing out lunches to any family in need. Candy is handed out at Halloween in the parking lot, and “Breakfast with Santa” spreads the spirit of Christ around the holidays. Another group volunteers to sit and listen to children learning to read. When an apartment building had a fire, members gathered to help find things to replace what families had lost. Nothing is required of anyone, and no money is requested. They are people just being Jesus to the world around them. Take note of what your congregation is doing for the city and see if there is a place you can help. If they aren’t doing anything, talk to your leaders and start something to make a difference in the area around your church home. 

Want to go a step further? Almost five years ago, I volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer. My wife took the courses to become a CASA partner so we can work together. I was appointed Guardian ad litem for three great Hispanic children I have been advocating for over this period. This case is a special case, lasting much longer than usual, and two of them aged out of the program when they turned eighteen. However, they still keep in touch. I am working to secure a permanent home for the third child, but paperwork and regulations between the U.S. and Mexico have slowed things. Their lawyer and I are the only constant the children have had in their lives over the full five years. The youngest is now in a situation with a loving family who have added more consistency to his life. I’m praying that we can finalize this before long. Trying to grow up being moved from one home to another and dealing with constant meetings with people in the system is not the best way for any child to live. 

The problem is that there are not enough CASA volunteers to handle the hundreds of children who enter the system each year. Want to make a difference? Talk to the people at your local CASA and get more details on how you can help children who have been removed from their homes, giving them some hope and stability in their lives. Besides CASA, you could also check with Big Brothers-Big Sisters or the Boys and Girls Clubs. Help with food pantries and groups that collect clothing for those in need. See what organizations exist in your city and check to see if there is a way you can help.

Maybe the first place to become involved with people who have a need is to walk out your front door and be aware of your neighbors. Welcome a new neighbor, help an elderly neighbor with their yard, or take food to a shut-in. In other words, make a difference to those you live close to. 

Keep your personal resolutions or goals, but add to them a goal to be Jesus to the world around you and make a difference in the life of someone who needs encouragement. Even the smallest act can significantly impact the life of someone in need. 

In Matthew 25, Jesus shares a story of what judgment will be like. He uses the same illustration for the righteous and unsaved. To those who followed His teachings, He said, “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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘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.’ Matthew 25:35-40 (NASB) He then turns to the others and reprimands them using the same illustrations but when they ask the same question about when did they see Him, He answers, “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 25:45 (NASB)

In simple terms, Jesus is telling us, “Make a difference!”

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ