Of course caring for others begins at home, they say, but it really starts in the heart. So why are the most popular questions not “Are are you hungry?” or “Are you thirsty?”  Considering that”How are you?” is likely to get a response that addresses emotional status or even a reciprocal greeting we might give some thought to getting past the greeting to a genuine concern for two basic needs.

The value of caring in the judgment

The king, Yeshua, passes sentence on the accused at the end of the age.

42) for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43) I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44) “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45) “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 25:42-45)

What a marvelous thing it is to discover that there are people whose hearts are wide open, believers who are always ready to entertain strangers, and especially to provide for those who have nowhere to go, no food to eat,  no water to drink.