Posts Tagged "care"
Flashlights
Hey guys! What’s up?” I said as three young men came strolling towards me through the darkness. The smell of the Marijuana that they were smoking was nearly overpowering.
“I would like to invite you guys to join me for a Bible study this Sunday afternoon in the gym of the Care Center right behind the Pizza Hut at Washington and Rural. It’s a great place to get those important questions answered like, ‘Where are we going to go when we die,’ and ‘How should we live while we are here.’ What do you think?”
Ivan, Louis, and Raymond were interested. A guy telling them about the Bible was probably the last thing that was on their minds. Less than a block away, police were arresting a group of young men. The sounds of the city night were all around, and church and spiritual things seemed worlds away. However, it is into this world of darkness that we are called, and it is here that the light shines the brightest.
I remember as a young fellow, around 10 years old, that my folks took me to the Oregon Caves at Cave Junction. There was an eerie feeling about the place; cold, damp, and DARK! We continued to go down deeper into the ground until we came to a great big room about the size of the Gold Beach High School gym.
The guide explained all the interesting things about caverns . . . then, he said he wanted to show us something more. Folks, I was already scared; what more could he scare me with?
He proceeded to explain the power of “light.” He was going to shut off the lights . . . Right! It was already too dark! Then, he was going to strike a match and light up the whole room…uh-huh, yeh!
He did. That match illuminated that whole room, I kid you not; you could see every nook and cranny . . . even the far walls of that big room. What “power” that little match had!
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)
Have a nice day with your “flashlights.”
Read MoreThe Hands of Christ
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV)
During World War II, a church building in Strasbourg was destroyed. After the bombing, the members surveyed the area to see what damage was done. They were pleased that a statue of Christ with outstretched hands was still standing. It had been sculpted centuries before by a great artist.
Taking a closer look, the people discovered both hands of Christ had been sheered off by a falling beam. Later, a sculptor in the town offered to replace the broken hands as a gift to the church. The church leaders met to consider the offer and decided not to accept it. They felt the statue without hands would be a great illustration that God’s work is done through his people.
Truly, in the church, we are the “hands of Christ”. If Christ is to minister to the poor, it must be through our hands. If he is to take care of the sick, it must be through our hands. If he is to reach out to those who are lonely, it must be through our hands.
See something around you that Christ needs to take care of today? He has no hands — but yours!
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