A Tangible Jesus

This afternoon I completed reading the book "Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America" by Mike Yankoski. In this book, Mike relates the story of he and his friend Sam as they make the decision to give up their comfortable lives and live for 5 months as homeless men on the streets of some of America's largest cities. These two Christian college students were on a journey to find out if their faith in Jesus was real; even when separated from every comfort with which they were familiar.

Throughout their journey, Mike and Sam learn what it is to go hungry, to go without a shower for weeks at a time, to live in constant danger and with the constant worry of where they will get their next meal or where they will sleep that night. They also learn to look at people through different eyes. They are forced to look behind the grime, to ignore the smell, and to see the true need of broken, desperate people who need so much more than a good meal...they need a Savior.

The most convicting point which this book got across was this: In order for people to know this Savior, they first need to see the love of the Savior demonstrated in the lives of those who profess to know Him. It was heart-breaking to read how seldom "true Christians" reached out to Mike and Sam on their journey. One man told Mike and Sam he was "praying for them", yet failed to meet their simple needs for food to eat and shoes to wear.

I have been touched by this book. Even though I do not live in an area where it is common to see homeless people on the streets, there are countless ways in which I can reach out and share to help others in need. For starters, I plan to go through my closet before I leave for Peru and donate a bunch of clothes to our Community Assistance Center for people in need. However, in less than three weeks I will be living in a third-world country in a city of 8 million people where it is very common to have beggars on every street corner and little children singing on buses in order to earn money. I will have more opportunites than I can count to reach out and share with those in need.

Will I take the opportunities that come? I pray that I will. It is one thing to tell people that God loves them...it is quite another to show them by the way we live our lives.

How will you live Jesus to those around you?

"...Then the righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'"Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

It Won't Be Long...

Heaven has been on my mind a lot lately. There are certain times in life when the reality of heaven becomes infinitely more precious...this week has been one of those times. This week as I said goodbye to some dear friends for at least a year, remembered the anniversary of the passing of a dear woman of God, and learned of another dear man who went home to glory, the longing for heaven became even more intense.

What am I looking forward to about heaven?

No more goodbyes. What sheer joy it will be to enjoy the pleasures of heaven alongside so many people who I loved and shared so many memories with on earth. How precious to know that all because of Jesus, we will spend eternity together and never again have to experience the pain of goodbyes and separation.

The absence of sin. Do you ever wish you could just drop-kick the sin nature inside of you? There are times I would love to give it a crushing blow to the jaw and scare it away for good. Unfortunately its not that easy. The war against sin has to be fought daily for as long as I live. Imagine the freedom of living without the burden and struggle against sin. The very thought of it brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with thankfulness. Someday the struggle will be over.

The presence of the Lord. All the other joys heaven holds pale in comparison to this one. One day I will stand in the presence of my Savior. One day I will see the Lamb of God "who takes away the sins of the world." One day I will see the scars that bear evidence to the great price He paid for my freedom. One day I will worship Him and sing His praise with a perfect voice, in a perfect body, in a perfect place. There will be no greater joy.

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 24-25