“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7-11 NKJ
Years ago I lived in a small town in Arizona. One Sunday morning we got up and headed to church. When we entered the building I noticed a man sitting in the back row. His skin was worn and his hands were filthy. He was wearing tattered clothes and he smelled awful. It was obvious he was homeless. No one was talking to him. After saying hello to a few people I made my way over to him. I hate to say it but I hesitated at shaking his hand. He told me his name was Bill and he was just passing through town. He said he came to church because he loved his Jesus and wanted to worship him. While he was speaking he coughed several times. I knew he was sick but I didn’t know what was wrong with him. After I walked away I heard the leaders saying how important it was to keep him in the back of the church. I was shocked at their response but I figured they knew something I didn’t, so I kept quiet.
After service was over he left the building. No one stopped to ask how they could help. They just let him slip out the back door and into the brisk winter air. My heart went out to him and I wanted to do something but I didn’t know what to do. So I prayed. A few days later my friend Judy told me that she and her husband decided to let him stay at their house because they couldn’t stand seeing him living on the streets. He was sick and needed care. It is important to know Judy’s circumstance to understand the impact of this decision.
Judy was married to a man who suffered from severe mental illness and was in and out of the hospital. They were very poor financially. They had a very old house that needed repairs, and they had four kids. They also had many teenagers who stayed with them from time to time. Yet with all that Judy had to deal with she opened her home to Bill. She had one room off the back of the house that had a cement floor where she could set up a bed for him. She said she was going to put him in there so it would be easy to clean up if he had accidents.
Can you even imagine what her life was like at the time of this decision and yet she didn’t care. This man needed a place to stay and she made room for him. Now I know what you might be thinking because I thought the same thing. “How irresponsible of her because she has children and what if this guy was a crazy person?” Well, I asked Judy about that and she said the Holy Spirit gave her peace when she prayed about it. I didn’t argue with that answer. Over the next couple of weeks I visited Judy and checked up on Bill. He was in fact sick and each day he got worse. They finally had to rush him to the hospital in Flagstaff because he couldn’t function on his own anymore.
A few days later Bill died. My heart sunk as I thought of him lying in bed all alone passing from this life to the next without the comfort of family and friends. Then I remembered his words, “I came to church because I love my Jesus and want to worship Him.” A peace came over me because I knew that Bill was not alone at the time of his death. Christ was there! This experience left a lasting impression and caused me to consider what it means to walk in brotherly love. I learned many life lessons about brotherly love that changed the way I interact with people. Whenever I see a homeless person or a struggling family today, that experience comes to mind and I pray for them. I ask God if there is anything He wants me to do to show brotherly love. Sometimes He gives me an instruction to pray and other times He gives me an instruction to help physically or financially.
What I want to encourage you with today are some of the life lessons I learned through that experience. May God speak to you in an intimate way and show you how He wants you to share His love with others. First I learned how important it is to never judge a person who walks into our life or into our church based on their appearance. We never know their situation. This includes someone who may look homeless or someone who may look like a millionaire. Also it is important to know that the Spirit of God directs each person in regards to how they are to serve. He may ask us to pray or he may ask us to provide for a physical need. We have to be discerning so we fulfill His purpose in every situation. I learned that having a heart to serve is way more important than having a beautiful house to serve in. I learned that some of the most giving people in the world are the people who have the least to give. And most of all I learned that God’s love has been shed abroad in my heart so that I can be love to a hurting and dying world! As God begins to reveal how He wants you to show brotherly love, may you be empowered by the Holy Spirit and strengthened in your faith.
Prayer: Thank you for loving me and for calling me according to Your purpose. I praise You for teaching me Your ways so that I can walk according to Your truth. May I see Your people the way You see them and may I love them with the love You have so freely given me. May I be empowered by the Holy Spirit so I can discern how You want to use me in every situation. May I come to know and understand the gifts You have given me and may I use those gifts to be a blessing to Your people! Amen
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