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the pharmacy, Sarah prayed about last night’s dream, and she kept hearing Matthew 25:31. “God, was that dream from You?”
    Last night’s dream was unusually vivid and just plain unusual. She was visiting inmates, telling them about Jesus. It seemed very out of character for her and scary too.
God, I’m certainly the least likely candidate to ever do that!
    She pulled her old blue Chrysler into the driveway, bent slowly to pick up the
Gazette
, and went to the kitchen table with her Bible and a cup of coffee. She unrolled the
Gazette
and the headline made her gasp again.
It’s like that television show where the kid gets tomorrow’s headlines today
. She flipped in her Bible and started reading Matthew 25:31. She read about Jesus separating the sheep from the goats. She put down her coffee cup. I
don’t know what that has to do with a jail
.
    “Keep reading,” said Joel.
    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 foundation 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.” 2
     
     
    Sarah felt herself tearing up.
It’s You, God—the dream was from You
.
    “That’s right, Sarah; you’re learning to hear Father’s voice. He speaks to you through the Bible, through words in your mind, and even through dreams. He’s taking you through a season of letting you hear His voice very clearly so you’ll learn to recognize it and believe it,” said Joel.
    “And,” added Malta, “He’s giving you His heart for the downtrodden, the rejected, and the prisoners. He wants you to know that He loves the widows, the orphans, and the outcasts. He wants you to know that no act of kindness is too small for Him to see and reward. God will never forget the deeds you do and the love you show. 3 Now read the rest of my friend Matthew’s chapter.”
    Through her tears, Sarah continued reading,
    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, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” 4
     
    “The Lord loves the unlovely—unfortunately His Church does not,” Joel said. “Many who have professed to joyfully serve the Lord find it odious to serve people.”
    “Humble yourself, reach down to the outcasts, stoop to help the undesirables to their feet again,” said Malta. “The lower you reach, the more the Lord can fill you, the more He can use you. He says three times in His Word that He gives grace to the humble. Without His grace, you can do nothing. His grace is everything. It makes all the difference in your life.”
    “That’s right,” said Joel. “Dead religion makes us exhausted workers; grace makes us lovers.”
    Malta ministered an increase of compassion to Sarah straight from the Lord’s heart as he played the flute and then sang the Father’s love over her. Joel raised his hands toward Heaven. Flames ignited on his palms, and he placed them over Sarah’s heart.
    Oh Lord, I’m sorry. I’ve ignored all the hurting people. I just didn’t want to deal with them. I didn’t know how. I was only concerned about my needs and those I loved. I’m sorry I’ve ranked people and placed higher value on certain ones. Help me to see people the way You do. Help me to look into their souls, to not to be distracted by how they look or swayed by their wealth or poverty. Help me to empty myself so You can fill me with Your compassion. Help me to love the things You love and hate the