No Grenades

TITLE: No Grenades
DATE: May 20, 2019
TEXT: Luke 6:35 -  ESV) -  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this sinful world is a pretty selfish place.
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Because that’s the way it is, I’m often happy to share the stories of people who commit an especially caring act. No, I’m not talking about the person who throws himself on a hand grenade to save his buddies. although that would certainly quality as a selfless act.

No, we are talking about examples which are more commonplace, more everyday; examples which might often go unheralded.

Which brings us to today’s sharing. It is the story of a small-town barber who noticed that he had quite a few new customers walking in the door. Business was booming and, without trying to appear ungrateful, he poked around to find out why.

It took a bit of persistence before he managed to find out the other barber in town had had minor surgery. His competition was going to be laid up for at least five weeks. The new walk-in business he was enjoying was composed of men whose wives and sweethearts wouldn’t let them wait the month until their barber’s return.

So…the question was….what should he do with this extra money, this unexpected bounty from heaven.  Give it to missions? Help a needy family in town? Pay off some overdue bills?

Well, I can tell you what this Christian barber did: at the end of every week he sent the extra money he had earned to his competition.

I did tell you the barber was a Christian, didn’t I?

A Christian showing Christian compassion.

When I heard the story I wondered, "Would I have acted that way?" Let’s take that thought one step further:  Would I have even thought of doing something that caring and compassionate?
I just don't know.

What I do know is this: from now on, I will try, in the Name of Jesus and following His example to go that extra mile to be of assistance. No I probably won’t end up throwing myself on a hand-grenade but I just may run into a situation where I can be of service.

And, being a social sort of fellow, I’d like to invite you to join me.

It won’t cost you very much. Certainly nowhere near what it cost the Savior to rescue us from sin, death and devil.
Indeed, it costs Jesus' people so little to be kind and generous; and it mends so many fences when we go just a bit out of our way to reach out.

It's a wonderful lesson from a Christian barber - - a lesson for a pastor like me and a Daily Devotioner like you.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to reflect Your Love by being kind and generous to those around me. It costs me little to do so. Through my life, may others learn of the high price You paid for them out of love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html