Dear Church, I Came To See You
A Story of God’s Blessing on the
Christian or the Non-Christian?
Matthew 25:35-39
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, 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.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed
you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger
and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick
or in prison and go to visit you?’
Week to
week I come in your doors. I worship in
your majestic buildings to this God you preach.
Looking for God I am often mesmerized by the lights and sounds from your
stage. What a show and performance. What
grand pageantry; the instruments, the singers, better then anything seen on Broadway.
I am captivated and held spell bound by the great oratory of the one you call Pastor. I was even convinced once or twice of the
many ways I could improve my life.
Then that
day came.
I lost the job
that I had given decades of service to. With
my spouse only working part-time, how do I provide for my family?
What great
relief to be headed to Church today!
Surely, I can find the answers I need today.
“Dear
Brother, so sad to learn about your lost job. Hope you know we are praying for
you.”
Two months
have gone by and still no prospects of a job.
Things get worse when the old kitchen stove breaks down and we cannot
afford to buy one. On Sunday, I share
my need with my friend the Deacon. As he prays for God to provide for my family,
I hear the prayers from the stage thanking God for meeting the building fund
goal of $200,000.
What will
we do?
Isaiah 41:17
When the poor and needy
seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the
Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
Then the
blessings start coming in! From the
church congregation? You would think so,
but no. They come from the “world”. Co-workers at my spouse’s part-time job
start finding “excuses” to “miss work”.
Suddenly my spouse is working 5 days a week to fill in for them. Bless them Lord!
“Dear
Brother, how is the job hunt going? By
the way, we added your need to the Prayer chain”
“Today’s
message is called: ‘God’s Power to
Provide’”
What a
wonderful promise! I am glad we had
those non-Christians at my spouse’s job, so God could use them to help us and in
turn they can be blessed by God.
Proverbs 22:9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Then one
day, my spouse comes home excited. The boss at work wants to give us a stove! A week later, co-workers handed us a gift
totaling $200 in food and services for our children! Within months, the same company offers my
spouse a full time job.
Thank you
Lord for your provisions through this employer!
Bless them exceedingly.
Dear
church, the Lord will provide for his children whether or not you are too BUSY
to hear the simple cries of help from his children. There was a time in the book of Acts when the
Apostles STOPPED their ministry to meet the needs of the Widows and Orphans. It cost Stephen his life! The church then was BLESSED because of what
they GAVE and not what they were waiting at the altar to RECEIVE.
He wishes
to work through his Bride the church but he will use whom he needs to
accomplish his work.
Judgment
begins at the House of God.
1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the
world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him,
how does God's love abide in him?
Written 2009
Revised 2013
WDK
