Rejoicing in the Streets

Grace, peace, and mercy from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My friends, I want to share a story with you from my journey in Atlanta, Georgia. When the team walked the city at any time of day, people walking the streets routinely asked us for money. And I'll be honest - we were not that responsive. We were students serving on others money and a majority of the people asking for money were probably just going to buy alcohol and drugs.

As we walked to dinner at the Varsity, the nation's largest drive-in, a man stopped me on the corner. He was obviously homeless; his clothes were dirty and he appeared as if he had not showered in days. He stopped me and asked me for cash. I lied to him and told him I only had my credit card. He looked at me in my eyes and said, "Can you at least buy me a meal?" Something in my heart moved me to say yes. "If you are at this corner when I come out, I will give you a meal." He thanked me and I went inside.

I bought him a hamburger and fries. I walked outside and did not see him at the corner or in the area. Just as I began to think that I had bought myself an additional meal, I saw the man jumping in the middle of the street, rejoicing and thanking God for the food. I handed him the meal and told him, "This is given to you because I love Jesus and Jesus loves you." And he looked at me and told me that he is a Christian. He further told me that he had prayed for food and that God had guided him to this corner to wait for a meal. He told me that I was an answer to his prayers. He hugged me, shook my hand, and I returned to the Varsity.

I do not share this with you to give myself a pat on the back for a job well done. There is a deeper lesson in all of this. I lied to this man. I could have given him cash and been a blessing to him, but I decided to lie to him. Despite my sinfulness, God was determined to bless this man through me and He did so. Yet, when I handed him the food, I did not feel good about myself or think I was doing a good work. I remembered when Christ said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). I felt that in lying to this man, in some way, I lied to Jesus.

I shared with John Mitchell, a man on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, about this experience and my hesitance to give to beggars. He shared his heart on giving to the poor with me. John told me that it is not our job to determine where the money is going to be spent and on what it will be spent on, but to be examples of God's grace and love. I first I resisted this teaching in my mind. What about discernment? There are times I see someone and I know they are lying to me and trying to take advantage of me. What about wisdom? Is it wise to enable others in their habits?

After some thought, I realized that these questions were excuses and self justifications. I am involved in the ministry of grace. Grace is what leads us to repentance. It is not God's judgment that brings us to our knees to worship Him, but His grace and mercy. In the same way, giving to those in need graciously will bless them. If a beggar is attempting to deceive me, then it is my hope that the grace that I have administered in the name of Jesus Christ would convict that person, lead him or her to repentance, and ultimately, belief that Jesus Christ is Savior.

Brothers and sisters, if you have been making excuses as why not to serve or give of yourself, stop now. Christ came to gave his life. If you decide to give, I encourage you to share that you are giving because of Jesus' love. Please share your adventures with me. Comment on the blog, email alivethroughgrace@gmail.com, or instant message GrcAlive. God bless you on your journey. He will protect and guide you.

By the Grips of Glorious Grace,

Stephen James