“When I did not have a place to stay, you welcome me in…”
I am sure everyone at our church knows we have a new church family who need our
help in many ways. As I shared in my sermon last time, everyone seemed to accept
them without discrimination; Kathy, Greg, and Michael felt at home at our church.
A couple of days after the first service at our church, Michael came and hesitantly
asked if he could get a pair of glasses. I didn’t think much about it; I thought he
needed glasses to fill out his job applications. We went to Dollar General and got a
pair of reading glasses. The following day, Kathy, Greg, and Michael came in with a
big grin and showed me the Bible in each of their hands. They said they got the
Bible from where they handed out free Bibles, which was why Michael needed
reading glasses to read the Bible.
I silently exclaimed, “This is God’s doing!” We did not impose our faith on them; we
just loved and cared for them with the love Christ has shown us. That was all we did!
They themselves decided to read the Bible and wanted to be involved in church
activities as part of the church family.
Many people talk about how dangerous it is to help underprivileged people, let
alone open their homes to those in need these days and times; people say, ‘too
many risks are involved in helping the needy.’ But who said it is easy to follow Jesus?
After all, isn’t it a risky business to follow Jesus? Of course, one needs to be cautious. One can only always look for those in need if one is called into the ministry
of caring for those living on the street. Even if we did not look for those in need,
what if someone in need is pushed in our ways? What if we know someone we
encountered during the day is soaking in the rain in the street, not having a place to
go to at night? What if that someone is Christ-personified, needing a place to stay to
avoid the rain or the cold? What is a Christian thing to do? What should we be
dictated by when we make decisions? Should we be dictated by those “red flags” to
be cautious or by the promptings of the Holy Spirit? How could anyone with a
Christ-like heart peacefully sleep when someone s/he met is behind the storage unit
in the rain, and you are fully aware?
I am very thankful for our church and people who are spiritually mature in helping
our friends, if not our family. Greg and Michael have gotten jobs and are getting
ready to be on their own feet. With a little bit of help out of our surplus, I know that
they can not only succeed in being on their own feet but also fulfill their God-given
mission: helping those in need as they have been in need. God is faithful! Amen!
P.S. Please continue to pray for them to attain their goal of being independent
physically, financially, and spiritually.
2024-05-26