Lord, Give Me a Heart for the Lost.

Friday, 17 April 2026Matthew 25:40

Illustration

Lord, give me a heart for the lost.

Scripture

Matthew 25:40·WEB Translation

The King will answer them, "Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

Devotional

The Least of These

Some friends of ours recently came to faith, and it didn't happen the way you'd expect. Nobody knocked on their door. Nobody handed them a tract. They turned up to a free playgroup at a local church because they needed something for their kids to do.

But the ladies who ran it were so kind, so consistent, so full of something they couldn't quite name that over the weeks and months, they were curious about why.

That's how it works, isn't it? Not arguments. Not debates. Just people being kind, over and over, until someone wants to know why. Jesus told His disciples something that should stop us in our tracks.

When you feed the hungry, you feed Me. When you welcome the stranger, you welcome Me. When you visit the sick, you visit Me. "Because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

He didn't say "preach to them." He said feed them. Clothe them. Visit them. Show up for them. The hungry, the stranger, the sick, the forgotten. The person everyone else walks past. Jesus says that's where you'll find Him.

Having a heart for the lost doesn't require a stage or a sermon. It's the conversation where you actually listen. The meal you drop off without being asked. The time you spend with someone who has nothing to offer you in return. It's choosing to see people the way Jesus sees them, not as interruptions to your day but as the very reason for it.

Those ladies at the playgroup probably didn't think they were doing anything extraordinary. They were just being kind. But that kindness changed a family's life. It changed their eternity.

Who is God putting in your path today? The cashier having a hard day. The neighbor you've never spoken to. The person at church who always sits alone. You might never know the impact of it. But God does.

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Prayer

Lord, give me a heart for the lost, compassion for people who don't know You, urgency about eternity, genuine care for those who are far from You.

I get so focused on my own life, my own circle, my own comfort that I forget there are people around me who don't know the hope I've found in You.

Teach me to see people the way You see them, as sheep without a shepherd, as lost and in need of rescue, as precious souls You came to save.

A heart for the lost means I'm not indifferent to their eternity, not content with my own salvation while others remain in darkness, but burdened for those who don't know You.

Help me move past judgment and into compassion, to love people into the kingdom rather than condemning them from outside it, to remember I was lost once too.

Remind me that You don't want anyone to perish, that every person matters to You, that the lost aren't statistics but individuals You love deeply.

Give me boldness to share my faith, wisdom to know when to speak, love that makes people curious about what I have, a life that points others to You.

Let me live with a heart for the lost, caring about eternity, praying for opportunities, ready to share the hope that changed my life with those who need it.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Journaling Prompts

  • Q.Who has God placed in my path that I've been too busy to notice?
  • Q.When has someone's kindness pointed me toward God?
  • Q.What's one practical thing I could do this week for someone who has nothing to offer me in return?
  • Q.Where do I find it easiest to love, and where do I find it hardest?
  • Q.How would my day look different if I treated every person I met as if I were serving Jesus?

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