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)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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James 2:14-18 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"-- but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith, unless it produces good deeds, is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."
ReplyDelete...challenging thoughts.