He wore a soiled white shirt and a pair of ripped
slacks. His matted hair flopped in the
wind and he had heavy eyes. The beggar, Stephen, held out his cup, “Could you
please give me a little money to live on.
I am without a job right now and I need some to buy food.” He turned fifty five this day and he had been
on the streets since his twenties. He
used to be a policeman till he lost his buddy in a shootout. He never forgave himself believing his friend’s loss occurred due to
his negligence.
There Stephen stood year after year, day after day until a
young girl approached him. “Excuse me
sir.”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to let you know that Jesus loves you very
much. Here is a pamphlet that talks about
what He’s done for you and me and everyone else. Also, here’s a sandwich for you to eat. God Bless you!”
“Thank you. I promise
to read it.”
Stephen devoured his salami sandwich and opened the
pamphlet. Inside, he found a picture of
Christ on the cross. Tears welled up in
his eyes when he began to read of God’s great love for him and how Jesus offers
complete forgiveness for his sins. After
reading the tract, he prayed aloud the concluding words and asked Jesus to be
the Lord of his life. He felt the burden
of his sins melt away like ice on a summer day.
After three weeks, a man approached his corner. He asked, “I am developing a team of
individuals to do yard work in this area.
I will train you, and I pay competitively. Would you like to work for me?
Stephen thought, all
these years without a job. I am
frightened at the idea, but I have to believe that Jesus has something to do
with this…
“Sir, I will work for you.”
That began his journey back into society. Stephen joined a church and God began
prospering him. He was quick to give to
the Lord’s work, and he learned to serve as an usher at the worship center he
attended.
This story is fictional but it shows us the difference we
can make when we sow seeds of love to others.
Let’s share God’s word with the spiritually needy. Let’s feed the hungry and pray for the
sick. God can use us in many ways if we’ll
just be faithful and available. Our
efforts do have an effect on those around us.
Remember Christ’s commission to go into all the world, and remember His
great commandments to love Him and others.
God Bless,
Tom
