Can you spare some change?

"Excuse me ma'am, can you spare some change? I'm trying to buy a ticket on the train back to LA." were the first words out of this stranger's mouth as he approached me. "How much do you need?" I replied. "Ten dollars."


I fished in my purse pulled out one dollar and handed it to him. He thanked me as I began to walk away and approached the next person on the street in his quest to gather enough train fare to get to where he was going.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46, New International Version, ©2011)

I may have given, because I was asked, but I didn't really give. I know nothing about this man, his life situation or needs, but I failed to truly give.

I could have done so much more had I taken a moment to treat him like Jesus.

There I was ten feet from a cafe and I didn't even think to ask him if he'd like a cup of coffee and a biscotti. I could have invited him into the cafe with me and treated him like a friend. Instead I brushed him off with one nonchalantly uncaring dollar and walked away from a man who I am sure needed to be shown God's love. My eyes are filling with tears and my heart is full of shame as I reflect on this lost moment to be the hands and feet of Christ.

1 John 4: 10-12 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

1 John 2: 4-6 "Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."

All this man humbly asked me for was spare change, but I think that maybe spare change was the last thing he needed. Spare change is something you nonchalantly throw in a jar. It's hardly a sacrifice or act of love to give away your spare change. God hasn't called us to a life of sparing change. My spare change, literal or figurative, pales in comparison to the life of obedience, service and love I'm called to live for Christ.

The question isn't: can you spare some change? The question is: can you sacrificially love and live as Jesus did?

One Thing Necessary

Don't people just drive you crazy sometimes? Or you wish they would just change there ways? Maybe there is so much on your list of things to do everyday, or you are involved in ministry, and you are just so overwhelmed by the amount. But you are doing it for Jesus, right? Or maybe the songs at church aren't as upbeat as you like. Maybe kids at school keep teasing you about being a Christian. There are many things that we encounter during the day, whether it be other people, things to do, or a heavy weight on our shoulders called Worry.

Earlier this week I was looking at Luke 10, and God drove several words right into my heart that crumbled the walls around me, and left me with out any defenses before Him. It was the story of Martha and Mary welcoming Jesus into their home. Martha was distracted with preparations, and wanted help from her sister Mary, who was sitting and doing nothing (in her eyes). Complaining to Jesus about this, Jesus hits the nail on the head, and responds in this way:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

After reading this section, I knew that if I replaced Martha's name with my own, it would be true of me as well. I have welcomed Jesus into my life, given it into His hands to guide as I follow Him - I am committed to live for Him. The voices of this world say "good enough! Now get busy! Then you will have much success!" And I am distracted with preparations of sharing Jesus to others, and even by doing them. I am distracted by other people who drive me crazy, or who I wish I could be more like others. I let others take the rudder of my life and I fill up my life with things that I think are necessary. But in God's eyes, I am just worried and bothered by so many things - things that don't even matter without Jesus. I see that I am a Martha.

But what was Mary doing? She was not sitting and doing nothing, but sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him! Jesus said that this was THE ONE THING NECESSARY. It isn't necessary to worry or be bothered by things. It isn't necessary to keep your schedule so full you overlap. The only thing necessary is to be with Jesus - to sit at His feet and listen to Him.

But that isn't telling others about Jesus? That isn't "going and making disciples." How can that be the one thing necessary?

In this passage, Jesus is emphasizing the importance of the Greatest Commandment - to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And when you do this - when you sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him and fall in love with Him every day, everything else falls into place. We are able to share about Him to others. Our busy lives are accomplished with more energy and in it all, Christ's love can't help but spill out of us, because we are full of Him.

God brought several questions to me to honestly answer Him: "Are you living with Christ, rather than just for Him? Are you willing to do the one thing necessary?" Neither He or I were satisfied with my answers, but only by His strength can come before Him, sit at His feet, listen, and am filled with Him. My prayer is that God would mold me into a "Mary" who can't help but just sit at His feet. O, Jesus give me that passion.

Strive for the "one thing necessary," and watch Christ work in your life. I can't wait to see what He will do in mine!

uncommon?

God has lately been pointing me out in so many situations to die to self and to live my life in His power and strength. I feel that I never understand what that means, but I keep striving to know Him and pray that someday I will understand in some tiny way.

God really spoke to me though this quote by Jim Elliot that I came across, and I wanted to share it with all of you. If we lived this way, if our generation in America, and around the world, would be willing step out in the boldness and power of God, what a world of difference there would be!

"We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with.

But we are "harmless," and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places.

Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross.

We are "sideliners" -- coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged.

The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own.

Oh that God would make us dangerous!"

--Jim Elliot

This quote, though written a few years ago, is so true today, and we can learn and be challenged so much from those before us!

I pray that we as Followers of Christ would live everyday without any regrets, that we would be "dangerous" in the Power of God, given the ability in Christ and the Holy Spirit!

If we live for some One that is so uncommon or unusual compared to the world, how can our lives be anything but uncommon to the world?? Man, that is something that I need to think about and really apply to my life!