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| MinneSoda Fountain |
I was washing dishes- the
lunch rush was over. Two men bellied up
to the bar. That is, our ice cream counter. The younger one, maybe mid- twenties, was looking for a bite to
eat. He looked like he stepped out of Berkley College. Everything about him
radiated his copious amounts of knowledge regarding history and politics. The second man looked much older-rough; life
had not been kind. His hands & clothes were dirty. As I look back, it might not have been that he
was so much older; just perhaps that the trials of life had multiplied his
years- etching time deeper in his weathered frame. Sitting a stools space from
me, his pungent smell was evident.
The young man ordered a grilled sandwich, soup, and a cherry coke. Tab closed- if the other man wanted something, he would be paying for it. Politely he asked for a cup of coffee. I entered the order and went back to washing dishes. Spurred on by trivia questions, the younger man endlessly spouted knowledge. He seemed to know all the questions and have all the answers. He didn’t seek my opinion, so I didn’t give it. The older man, however, began to chit-chat. He began to ask questions; which although common, I became hesitant to answer. He's …out of work… poor... I had judged him unsafe so I stopped talking, afraid of giving out too much information. I looked away dismissively.
After they had left, the
words of James 2:1-4 echoed in my ears: “… how
can you claim to have faith in Jesus Christ if you favor some people over
others? … suppose someone comes into
your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes
in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention
…to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can … sit on the
floor”—well, doesn’t this ... you’re … guided by evil motives? “NLT
I had judged him. God knew the arrogance and fear in my heart and
called me on it. Favoritism is sin. (Ja 2: 8) And I knew it.
“Poor” means completely lacking resources- nothing to offer. Like a poor man, we have nothing to offer God
that He does not already have in abundance!
He is the Giver of all Good Gifts. Everything we have been given is from
Him: our strengths, talents, & abilities. They are gifts given to you to enjoy-
bringing glory to God.
Many of us think we have
to bring something to table to be acceptable to God. We strive to accomplish;
we try. We think we must measure up. But we don’t. There is nothing you can do that will make
God love you more. He loves us- not
because we have anything to offer- simply because we are. James gives us a
prescription: “Speak and act
as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because
judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy
triumphs over judgment.” Ja 2:13
Showing mercy to those who
are poor- physically helping those who have nothing to offer- reminds us of Christ’s love for us and
spreads the good news that God loves them too. (Lk3:11) The Perfect Son of God
never looked in contempt upon the poor and broken. Jesus said the poor will always be among us.
Do you see them?
How did you treat those
around you today? What influenced who
you spoke with and how you looked at them?
God forgive
me for seeking power & neglecting the poor.
Remind me I can quit trying to be good enough to earn your love. I need
to come to you poor in Spirit- because I can’t save myself. But You can. Teach
me to trust you. Change my heart to see
that you love the poor. Use me to share
your love for them- by sharing what you have given me.
Next time I’m prone to judge like that, I hope I remember that lesson… offering one gift I been given to share in abundance... a bit of chit chat to go with his coffee!
”This is how we know what
love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our
lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and
sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of
God be that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.” 1 Jn 3:16-18
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