“He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:8-9
God teaches us that we are to live a Christian Life that exemplifies us as imitators of Christ. Even when others are not faithful and don’t always do the right thing, we as Christians must not judge, but follow Christ’s teachings and be Faithful Disciples. We are all familiar with the saying “What Would Jesus Do?” Situations have arisen that make us question how we should respond as Christians.
Every day, we see people standing at intersections who have signs asking for money, food, or work for food. Most times, they ask for money. We ask ourselves if they are starving or just trying to take advantage of us because of the stories we have heard, or sometimes it is because we have had experiences that proved that persons were not homeless or hungry; they just wanted money for alcohol or drugs. Like most people, I just ignored them; treated them like they were invisible. Many years ago, I saw a man with a sign soliciting money for food. There was something different about him. He had an “aura” that I cannot explain. I don’t usually give money to persons with signs beside the road, but God spoke to my heart and said “Give this man some money.” I did not have a lot of cash, but I reached in my purse and gave him all that I had. He thanked me profusely and I prayed for God to bless him. Afterward, a peace like no other came over me. This experience reminded me of 2 Timothy 2:13 “… if we deny him, he will also deny us.”
I don’t know what happened to the man, but I continued looking for him for years to no avail. I sometimes ask myself if he was an angel that God sent to remind me of my purpose in life: discipleship. Since that experience, I have been committed to serving and helping others. Luke 12:48 says it all “…To whom much is given, much is required; and to those who accept it, there is an anointing to achieve it.”
Heavenly Father, thank you for always being Faithful. Help us to be imitators of Christ and to live our lives so that we may be examples for others to follow. Amen.
Doris Bluitt is a member of John Wesley UMC