Your Hand in Prayer

 

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest ones to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom for pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger, the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

When you find it hard to get to sleep tonight; just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

When you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

When you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.

When you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it is like to love and be loved in return.

When you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for a paltry sum to feed her family.

When your car breaks down, leaving you miles away from assistance, think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

When you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

When you find yourself at a loss, and pondering what is life all about, what is my purpose, be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

When you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember, things could be worse. You could be them.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

Shoes in Church

 

Shoes in church

I showered and

shaved…………. I adjusted my tie.

I got there and

sat…………. In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in

prayer……… As I closed my eyes.

I saw the shoe of the man

next to me….. Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room

on either side…… I thought, ‘Why must our soles touch?’

It bothered me, his shoe touching mine… But it didn’t bother him much.

A prayer

began: ‘Our Father’…………. I thought,

‘This man with the shoes has no pride.

They’re dusty, worn, and

scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the

side!’

‘Thank You

for blessings,’ the prayer went on.

The shoe man

said…………… A quiet ‘Amen.’

I tried to focus on the

prayer……. But my thoughts were on his shoes

again.

Aren’t we

supposed to look our best. When walking through

that door?

‘Well, this certainly isn’t it,’ I thought,

Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended……….. And the songs of

praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud…… Sounding

proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters……… His

hands were raised high.

The Lord could surely hear. The shoe

man’s voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering…….

And what I threw in was steep.

I watched as the shoe man

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reached… Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled

out………. What the shoe man put in.

Then I heard a soft

‘clink’ . As when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored

me……… To tears, and that’s no lie.

It was the same for the

shoe man… For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the

service……. As is the custom here.

We must greet new

visitors, And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved

somehow…………. And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer…….. I reached over and

shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark… And his hair was truly

a mess.

But I thanked him for coming………. For being our

guest.

He said, ‘My names’ Charlie……….. I’m glad

to meet you, my friend.’

There were tears in his eyes…….. But he had

a large, wide grin.

‘Let me explain,’ he said………. Wiping

tears from his eyes.

‘I’ve been coming here for months….. And

you’re the first to say ‘Hi.”

‘I know that my

appearance……….’Is not like all the rest.

‘But I really do

try………………’To always look my best.’

‘I always clean

and polish my shoes..’Before my very long walk.

‘But by the

time I get here………’They’re dirty and dusty, like chalk.’

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My heart filled with pain………… And I swallowed to

hide my tears.

As he continued to apologize……… For daring to sit

so near

He said, ‘When I get here…………’I know I must

look a sight.

‘But I thought if I could touch you…’Then maybe

our souls might unite.’

I was silent for a moment……….. Knowing

whatever was said

Would pale in comparison… I spoke from my

heart, not my head.

‘Oh, you’ve touched me,’ I said…….’And

taught me, in part;

‘That the best of any man………….’Is

         what is found in his heart.’

The rest, I

thought,…………….. This shoe man will never know.

Like

just how thankful I really am… That his dirty old shoe touched my soul

Making a difference in my life.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads us to peace and to mutual edification. – Romans 14:19

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

The Ambassador of Christ

 

This is a true story about being a good ambassador of Christ in every situation and representing Him well wherever we find ourselves.

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area.

When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.”

Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.”

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change…”

The driver, with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”

When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and groaned, “Oh God! I almost sold your Son for a quarter!”

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test!  Always be on guard – and remember – you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself  ‘Christian.’

– Author Unknown

Meditation: So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. – 2 Corinthians 5:20 (ERV)

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!

An Encounter

 

I sat with two friends in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, “I will work for food.”

My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat half-heartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: “Don’t go back to the office until you’ve at least driven once more around the square.”

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square’s third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the storefront church, going through his sack.

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out, and approached the town’s newest visitor.

‘Looking for the pastor?’ I asked.

‘Not really,’ he replied, ‘just resting.’

‘Have you eaten today?’

‘Oh, I ate something early this morning.’

‘Would you like to have lunch with me?’

‘Do you have some work I could do for you?’

‘No work,’ I replied. ‘I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.’

‘Sure,’ he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. ‘Where you headed?’

‘St. Louis.’

‘Where you from?’

‘Oh, all over; mostly Florida.’

‘How long have you been walking?’

‘Fourteen years,’ came the reply. I knew I had met someone unusual.

We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, ‘Jesus is The Never Ending Story.’

Then Daniel’s story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He’d made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. ‘Nothing’s been the same since,’ he said, ‘I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.’

‘Ever think of stopping?’ I asked.

‘Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That’s what’s in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.’

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: ‘What’s it like?’

‘What?’

‘To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?’

‘Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn’t make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people’s concepts of other folks like me.’

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, ‘Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I’ve prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.’

I felt as if we were on holy ground. ‘Could you use another Bible?’ I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It travelled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favourite. ‘I’ve read through it 14 times,’ he said.

‘I’m not sure we’ve got one of those, but let’s stop by our church and see.’

I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

‘Where are you headed from here?’ I asked.

‘Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.’

‘Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?’

‘No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that’s where I’m going next.’

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission.

I drove him back to the town-square where we’d met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

‘Would you sign my autograph book?’ he asked. ‘I like to keep messages from folks I meet.’

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, ‘I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.’

‘Thanks, man,’ he said. ‘I know we just met and we’re really just strangers, but I love you.’

‘I know,’ I said, ‘I love you, too.’

‘The Lord is good!’

Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?’ I asked.

‘A long time,’ he replied.

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, ‘See you in the New Jerusalem.’

‘I’ll be there!’ was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, ‘When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?’

‘You bet,’ I shouted back, ‘God bless.’

‘God bless’ And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them… a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.

Then I remembered his words: ‘If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?’

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours of the encounter with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. ‘See you in the New Jerusalem,’ he said.

‘Yes, Daniel, I know I will…’

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ – Matthew 25:34-36

You will succeed in Jesus' Name!