Only....remember the poor.

Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Galations 2:10

I was talking to my mom and Jo about this verse the other day... Then, this morning I read this verse:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. Luke 4:18

Today the Lord crossed my path with a homeless man outside of the Walgreens near my office and gave me the opportunity to buy him lunch.

"Could you spare a couple of dollars so I can get some chicken for lunch?" Many times in the past I would have hurried my step, looked the opposite direction to avoid making eye contact. But, by the grace of God I did not.

He was very, very thankful and said, "I hope someday I can pay you back."

"No," I told him, "This is a free gift, just like God's gift of salvation. I have received so much from God, especially God giving his Son and saving me, so I just wanted to show you Christ's love."
He said he met a woman at Wal-Mart yesterday and was planning to go to church with her family this weekend. He said he had been saved, but backslid. He was hoping God would change his life when he went to church.

This encounter was a wonderful gift from God! I do not share it to show some noble deed I did...I am so struck with how this was all of God and for God. This would not be my natural response to meeting a homeless man. The Lord gave me so much joy and encouragement through this opportunity to show his love, to apply his word, to care for Him -- as he said, "As you did to the least of these, you did it unto me." I pray that I might have watered a seed that was planted in this man's heart...that God will provide for him tangibly, but most of all spiritually.

He asked for prayer for two specific things -- that he would get a job, and that God would give him strength so that when he got saved, he could do the right things. His name is James, please pray for him.

Praise God for his steadfast love and mercy.