Matthew 25:31-40 (NRSV)
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"

End of scripture

Many Christians call this scripture "The Final Judgment." Notice that it mentions separating the goats from the sheep.

Especially worthy of notice is that the criterion isn't a set of rules. It isn't any "Thou shalt not."
Whether you ever drank -- that is not the criterion.
Whether you ever cursed -- that is not the criterion.
Whether you ever looked at anybody lustfully -- that is not the criterion.
Whether you ever wore tight leotards, or even a thong bathing suit -- that is not the criterion.

Instead the criterion is whether you lovingly helped your fellow man -- especially the least of your brethren. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, or visiting the sick or imprisoned -- those are examples that Jesus mentioned. Any other ways to help your fellow man -- they too qualify. The least of your fellow man -- that includes other categories besides skid row homeless bums. How about somebody with a different skin color? How about somebody with a speech handicap that is hard to understand? How about somebody who is habitually unemployed?

"The least of your brethern" could be a close family member, that is perhaps the black sheep of the family. It could be a person you regularly see, but you avoid socializing with him/her, for some reason.

Here is a common excuse to not help skid row bums -- if I give him money, he would spend it on drugs or alcohol. Maybe true, that he would spend it on drugs or alcohol. However, The Lord can guide you to other ways to help him. You could go to a nearby delicatessen and buy a sandwich -- then give the sandwich to the bum.

Whether you helped your fellow man -- not any set of rules -- that is the criterion -- in The Final Judgement.

<>< your ADD brother in the risen christ,
Lester Hemphill
Founder of ADDoration Ministries