"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me." -Matthew 25:40, KJV.

Jesus Christ sees our acts of kindness to others as acts of kindness directly to Him. We need to help the poor and needy, because then we are helping Christ. He allows us to be used by Him, even though He doesn't need us. It is our privilege to serve God, not our duty.