Give generously to the poor, not
grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There
will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you
to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
A
couple years ago I got word from a friend about a man who lived down the street
from me. I finally went to meet him, and
that was the beginning of a great friendship.
He had been out of work for a while and was making ends meet as best he
could. He is a proud dude who has
trouble asking for help, but when I found out a few ways to help, our church
and I stepped up.
Now
that same man who has been through even more battles since has given his heart
to Jesus, has no more desire to drink and he won’t miss a day spending time
with God and in his Bible. Have you seen
this man?
I met
a lady on Facebook a couple years ago.
She and her kids were struggling big time. Her marriage was ending because of abuse due
to addiction. Her older child was
rebelling. She ending up leaving town for
a while, but she and her youngest child have returned. All I did along with our church was offer
prayer, food and encouragement.
Since
moving back to town you ought to hear this sweet lady’s heart. She is not part of our church, but she goes
to her church all the time and is always talking about how good God is being to
her. She is serving others too. Have you seen this lady?
Another
dude met us as he was going through a local half way house and addiction
program. Life was anything but
normal. He struggled in and out of
relationships, but this guy wasn’t afraid of work. He worked hard but often got the short end of
the stick. Life got so bad that he ended
up doing something pretty stupid and is now in prison for a couple more years.
Since
that time I get a letter a couple times a month. Most recently I hear about the Bible studies
he is leading in prison and the cool church he is able to serve right where he
is. Another strange piece is the
envelope we get each month with a small but faithful check. This man is giving and praying for his pastor
and his church, serving people and seeking God in prison. Have you seen this man?
Her
life isn’t easy, but this precious older lady found our church a few years
ago. Like most she showed up in a time
of pain and struggle in her life and in the life of her family. In a note she wrote me recently she shared
how some people from our church simply showed they cared. They prayed for her. When they would see her at the store or out
somewhere, they would stop, talk and share.
Life has continued to be a difficult struggle with her husband battling
addiction, her sister having major brain surgery and her niece going through
more pain than I can share.
Since
first finding us I have watched this precious lady come out of her shell. She loves to serve her church through the
clothing ministry and more. I even
caught her this morning praying with a lady who was in real pain. Out of her struggles has come a soft, Savior
pointed and serving heart. Have you seen
this lady?
There
are countless others that I have watched God work in their lives. There are others that my heart is so heavy
for like the two married couples whose relationships have taken a turn for the
worse this week, for the man caught in addiction and with mental issues, or the
homeless man or homeless couple that we haven’t been able to help.
Have
you seen any of these people? I think
you have. If not these people, you have
seen others, and you have an opportunity to give or share or love some people
in need. I am convinced that when God
changed your life and mine that He saved us with other people in mind.
Life
is not about us. It is about God. Every chance we get we ought to share that
truth with others. We will find
ourselves and our purpose when we stop thinking about ourselves and start
serving others. That is what Jesus
did. He set aside His pain so He could
serve others.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress
others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out
only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Have
you seen any of these people?
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