Our name, in 3 words

We often get asked what the name “The LOT Project” means. LOT is actually an acronym for “Least Of These”. It comes from the Bible in the book of Matthew when Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). 

When I first thought about the term “least of these” I thought it sounded like an insult.  I wondered “did Jesus really say that a certain group of people were less important than another?” That doesn’t sound like the words of a loving savior.  However, as I spent time getting to serve at The LOT Project over the years, I came to understand that Jesus was not in any way calling a group of people less than. He was, however, saying that there are some people in our society who are often regarded as so. 

To put this in perspective, think about the various labels we assign to the poor; homeless, drug addict, prostitute, beggar, thief, alcoholic.  These labels carry a host of negative connotations, and suggest that we should “steer clear” of such people and have nothing to do with them. 

What I believe Jesus is advocating for in Matthew 25 is that we disregard the labels our society creates and assigns to people.  Every human being was created in the image of God.  Every human being is incredibly valuable to Him. Because that human being is important to God, they should be important to us. Jesus is challenging us to be unafraid to give of ourselves for the well-being of people who may be regarded as lowly in our society. And that when we do this, it is an act of love unto Him.